One of the most surprising aspects regarding the Bangladesh
Test squad for the tour to Sri Lanka was the exclusion of Marshall Ayub, a
top-notch performer in domestic cricket. Time and again, Marshall had shown his
temperament to occupy the crease and appetite to pile up big scores. But in
spite of being consistent he failed to earn Akram Khan and Co's sympathy.
At the same time, the left-arm spinner Enamul Haque Jr was
called up. Like Marshall, Enamul has been another consistent player in
first-class cricket and deserved a place in the national side. He last featured
in the national squad back in 2009 in the historic Test series in the West
Indies.
But a day after the announcement of the national squad,
cricket fans discovered a twist in the tale. Suddenly, Marshall discovered
himself in the squad while Enamul remained the ill-fated boy of Bangladesh
cricket. Marshall replaced the injured Naeem Islam while Enamul injured himself
in a net session and made way for Elias Sunny. The loss of Enamul is a huge
blow. With Shakib Al Hasan not around to carry the Bangladeshi bowling, Enamul
was supposed to lead the attack. Sadly, lady luck didn't smile upon him.
But the man to receive another chance to revamp his dying
career is Bangladesh cricket's once-upon-a-time toast of the nation - Mohammad
Ashraful, who has replaced Shahriar Nafees, who like Enamul and Naeem injured
himself during practice. The focus will be on Ashraful and how he utilizes this
opportunity to rediscover himself. It was on this same tour that Ashraful burst
into the scene as a teenage prodigy 12 years ago, scoring a hundred on debut at
the age of 16 against the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas.
Ashraful quickly became the poster boy of Bangladesh cricket but as time
progressed, he started to fade away. There were flashes of his talents but they
never transformed into success on a regular basis.
In the history of Bangladesh cricket, Ashraful is a very
important phenomenon. He has been very influential in giving Bangladesh the
realization to script victories by denting the top team's psychology with a
mixture of aggression and composure. His clinical hundred against Australia at
Cardiff in 2005 and 87 against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup proves that.
While he played a few quality attacks in Test cricket, these performances were
overshadowed by an ugly inconsistency. Despite his inconsistent performance the
selectors still persisted with him but at one stage the selectors' patience was
lost. Ashraful was never a regular member in the side.
If one factor is to be blamed behind Ashraful's decline then
it's only himself. Ashraful, throughout his career, has always been a very
reluctant individual. He never found within himself the discipline and hard
work which is much needed to preserve god-gifted talent. No matter how talented
an individual might be, if he doesn't work hard and focus on polishing the gray
areas then that talent simply gets lost with time.
With the emergence of Shakib, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim
and NasirHossain the need for Ashraful in the side has never been felt.
Bangladesh cricket has moved on without its most gifted son. But luck has
smiled upon Ashraful again. Very recently, in the domestic cricket, he found
himself amongst the runs. Though they weren't enough to earn a Test call amid
high profile performers like Mehrab Hossain Jr or Marshall, destiny has given Ashraful
another go.
This is his best chance to bring a derailed career back on
track. Will we observe a rejuvenated Ashraful or keep on cursing him again for
spoiling another golden opportunity?
Note: This article has been published in Cricketnext.com on 1/3/2013
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
No comments:
Post a Comment