![Mohammad Ashraful is back to serve Bangladesh cricket [Source: AFP Photos]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1762236934044_mohammad_ashraful.jpg?type=hq)
Mohammad Ashraful is back to serve Bangladesh cricket [Source: AFP Photos]
Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful is back in the national setup. The BCB has appointed the former star as the specialist batting coach for the upcoming home series against Ireland.
The announcement was made after the BCB’s board of directors meeting on Monday.
Alongside Ashraful, former selector and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak has been named the team director for the Ireland series.
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BCB brings back Mohammad Ashraful in a new role
Abdur Razzak confirmed the news, saying Mohammad Ashraful’s vast experience as a top-order batter played a big part in the decision.
"Ashraful has the experience — that's a given. He has already completed the coaching courses, and mainly his experience was the key for us in this role," Razzak told media.
There were questions about whether senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin was being replaced due to Bangladesh’s recent batting struggles.
However, Razzak made it clear that Salahuddin remains an important part of the team.
"Salahuddin bhai is the senior assistant coach. No one has been displaced for failure, Ashraful has been included in the setup. We will take a decision as the board going forward," he added.
For now, Mohammad Ashraful has only been appointed for the Ireland series, but there’s a possibility of an extended role depending on how the team performs.
Who is Mohammad Ashraful?
For those unversed, Mohammad Ashraful is a former Bangladesh cricketer and one of the most talented yet controversial figures in the country’s cricket history.
He was born on 7 July 1984, in Dhaka Bangladesh, and at the age of 17, became the youngest player to score a Test century against Sri Lanka in 2001.
Ashraful captained Bangladesh between 2007 and 2009, and during his leadership, the country recorded a few historic wins that include Bangladesh's first World Cup victory over South Africa in 2007.
His career, however, got tainted by a match-fixing scandal in the Bangladesh Premier League in 2013, and he was suspended from professional cricket.
The BCB initially banned him for eight years, which was later reduced to five years, with two years suspended, for cooperating with investigators and admitting his guilt.
He attended formal coaching courses, started mentoring some young players, and continued private training.
