OTD Mohammad Ashraful was born in 1984

Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful was born on this day, on July 7, 1984.

Ashraful had a brilliant start to his international career. At just 17, he registered his name in history books by becoming the youngest player to score a Test century as he registered 114 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2001. He became an overnight national hero, and many believed he was Bangladesh’s Sachin Tendulkar.

Despite the dream start, his career was inconsistent. In 61 Test matches, he scored 2737 runs at an average of 24.00, including six centuries. In ODIs, he hammered 3468 runs in 177 matches at an average of 22.23 with three centuries. His unbeaten 158 against India in Chittagong (2004) was described by Sourav Ganguly as one of the finest innings he had seen. A year later, Ashraful smashed a century against the Australians in Cardiff, scripting one of the biggest upsets in ODI history.

In 2007, at just 22, Ashraful was appointed captain across formats. Notably, he scored a hundred in his first match as skipper against Sri Lanka. Under his leadership, Bangladesh and he saw a dip in form. In 2009, he was relieved of the captaincy to focus on his batting.

When he scored 190 against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2013, many believed Ashraful had made a comeback. But, later that year, he admitted to being involved in match-fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League. The Bangladesh Cricket Board suspended him, and the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit launched an investigation.

Following the ban, Ashraful could not get his place in the national side. However, he remained connected to the game, training at the BCB Academy and expressing his ambition to return as a coach. In 2024-25, he took up the role of assistant coach with the Rangpur Riders in the BPL and the Global Super League T20.

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