Mohammad Ashraful

[Polo23]

How can someone with such a poor record continually be selected? Even by Bangladesh standards he has a poor international record.

I can understand why they persisted with his poor performances for a while, especially when occasionally he'd come up with an absolute blinder (i'm thinking the ton against Australia in an ODI which won them the game) but these types of knocks are all too infrequent, and they'd benefit more by having someone slightly more consistent. Obviously he is very talented, but talent alone doesn't make a good cricket, especially at international level.

I don't know a great deal about the Bangladeshi FC system but I'd be very surprised if there wasn't SOMEONE who could average more than 23 in test cricket and 24 in ODI's.

This is Ashraful's 10th year in international cricket. He has had 3 acceptable years as a batsman in 2004 where he averaged 40.00 in 8 matches, 2006 where he averaged 30.25 in 4 matches (only just acceptable), and 2007 where he averaged 36.25 in 5 matches. In his last 3 years of international cricket he has had averages of 16.00, 12.66 and 16.50.

Time to bring in someone different and give Ashraful some time to think about his game.

[Noble One]

Ashraful is a very poor batsman, disgrace that a player with such a flimsy technique and termperment can have such a long lasting Test career.

Problem for Bangladesh is the lack of any suitable replacements. Selecting Ashraful who fails time and time again is no different to selecting any other batsman who will have similar failures. The difference with Ashraful is that he does come good one innings every thirty

[Jayzamann]

He was also acting as captain for a period of his career, that adds to the incumbency. But it is hard to argue that he has been an inconsistent international batsmen.

[SaeedAnwar]

he is weird batsmen, i mean he has 5 amazing centuries, I still remember the amazing 158* he scored back in 2004. sometimes he looks like he is total control, looks similar to Lara or Shewag, but most times he plays terrible shots. Not sure why that is, he has talent but he is not using it properly.

[Polo23]

I have no doubt the talent is there. But his shot selection is dire, it almost looks like he tries to get out some of the time. Obviously if he hasn't realised some of that potential by now (which he clearly hasn't since in the last 3 years his performances have got worse) he likely never will.

I'm sure Bangladesh have some batsmen with similar talent who haven't been given a shot yet. I don't see the harm in dropping Ashraful to give someone else a crack for a few games, just to see if they can make the step up (even if they average 25, it will be an improvement).

[Athlai]

If Raqibul didn't toss his toys then Ashraful could possibly be on the sidelines already.

Thing is he is still a better player than Jahurul (he should prove himself to be better though) and Kayes. Bangladesh don't have huge depth but hopefully when we see Nafees and Raqibul back in the team a guy like Ashraful can actually be dropped.

[Xuhaib]

garbage.

[Aritro]

As Athlai said, Raqibul being suspended has freed up a spot for his re-call. Another factor in Ashraful's favour is that Siddons, for some bizzare reason, really seems to rate him and has been lobbying for his continued selection.

I suspect he thinks that he can be the coach that turns him around and helps Ashraful convert superb reflexes and hand-eye co-ordination into actual output, but like all the coaches before him, he's mistaken.

Averages of 16, 12, and 16 in the last three years are ****ing deplorable and there's got to be at least a dozen batsmen who could be brought in and expected to do better.

Time to banish him from the test team forever.

[Uppercut]

He's awful. It's amazing how many people still think of him as a mercurial talent when he's just a really, really bad player. If he even appeared to make any effort to either apply himself to building a test innings or improve his game then I might not speak so harshly of him. But he doesn't.

[flibbertyjibber]

How Ashrafail keeps being selected and when he is placed in an important position when better players are moved to accomodate him is beyond me.

[Jungle Jumbo]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

He's awful. It's amazing how many people still think of him as a mercurial talent when he's just a really, really bad player. If he even appeared to make any effort to either apply himself to building a test innings or improve his game then I might not speak so harshly of him. But he doesn't.

Nah, still a mercurial talent, perhaps even the definition of it. Incredible hand-eye co-ord. But nothing else.

Can't help thinking how much those innings against Sri Lanka and Australia could potentially have destroyed him as a player. You couldn't have played either of those innings without a substantial amount of talent. Some of his shots at Cardiff were just incredible - some of them pretty orthodox as well. But he was very young then and completely immature, which was more understandable by now. He was given the captaincy while in a bad trough of form and then has sunk to unchartered depths. It's almost like he wasn't given the chance to grow up and so lacks the mental ability to bat, while his batting has gone to pot at the same time.

It's also frightening that he made his Test debut as a legspinner when you see what he does these days...

Hopefully Raqib will come back into the side within the next year and the likes of Shahriar Nafees, Alok Kapali, Mahmudul Hasan, Nasir Hossain all come through (or back through, in the case of the first two).

[thierry henry]

Going with Uppercut here.

Pretty much every time I've seen Ashraful bat he looks bad. Not "wow, what a dumb dismissal for a talented player"- he just looks bad. Throughout his innings.

Only guy I've ever seen repeatedly owned by Scott Styris bouncers on slow Bangladeshi tracks ffs.

[honestbharani]

Originally Posted by thierry henry

Going with Uppercut here.

Pretty much every time I've seen Ashraful bat he looks bad. Not "wow, what a dumb dismissal for a talented player"- he just looks bad. Throughout his innings.

Only guy I've ever seen repeatedly owned by Scott Styris bouncers on slow Bangladeshi tracks ffs.

Yeah, in one respect he is immensely talented, but then again, hand-eye co-ord and feet movement are not the only talents to make a good batsman.. YOu need judgement, a decent defense etc..

[Uppercut]

Lol JJ, he doesn't have good hand-eye co-ordination. If he did he wouldn't completely miss the ball with 75% of his shots.

[Jungle Jumbo]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Lol JJ, he doesn't have good hand-eye co-ordination. If he did he wouldn't completely miss the ball with 75% of his shots.

Nah, that's technical issues. And mental issues. To play those shots over fine-leg and the inside-out over cover so well like he did in the '05 series requires amazing hand-eye.

Shame the first two issues I mentioned are 99% of batting though.