Thank you Ashraful

ICC World Twenty20 England09
Thank you Ashraful
It is high time to seriously consider whether Bangladesh cricket is held hostage by a set of Ashra-FOOLS. And if it is the case then we better immediately send those ‘FOOLS’ to rehabilitation camp at least to stop the emotional bloodshed that was overpowering after Monday night’s stunning defeat against Ireland.
Sorry! It was not a defeat, it was a disgrace to a nation for the way Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful and company batted, bowled and fielded against the lightweights.
The cricket world considers Ashraful as a talented batsman. But he is perhaps the worst of that kind with his so called talent causing more harm than good for a team that desperately needs consistency rather than a flash in the pan.
He is one of those rare errant cricketers who never learns from their mistakes. Dropped at the early stage of his innings while trying to play the ball between the wicketkeeper and the lone slip, he played the same outrageous shot as a show of ‘catch me if you can’. The Irish however did not repeat the same mistake and his latest demonstration of arrogance on Monday night at Nottingham eventually opened the window to compose an Irish Braveheart after the Pirates of Caribbean act in 2007.
“Our top order batted poorly,” Ashraful said after the match. Sorry, captain, we beg to differ. Rather it is the captain himself who provoked others to play shots that belies logic.
We want to stress the word ‘provoked’ because we have no instances that the captain was punished for playing reckless shots in his last three years of his reign.
Ashraful took over the captaincy from Habibul Bashar from a concept that it would make him more responsible. But he remained as pre-committed a shot-maker on the field as his monotonous presence in post-match briefings. He never ceased to commit stupid mental errors, leading someone to believe that he needs to be treated at a place beyond cricket.
It is not unbecoming if someone calls for the head of the captain after Bangladesh cricket had hit the nadir. It might sound harsh but it is only fair to say that his approach towards the game needs to be corrected. And sad as it is to say, that correction will not come courtesy of international cricket.
Banish our captain to the leagues and ask him to pay the comeuppance of his actions. He might return a rejuvenated man, or he might not.
If he does, good and well for Bangladesh cricket. If he does not, then we will all know that Mohammad Ashraful’s time is, finally, well and truly up.

Courtesy of The Daily Star