Mohammad Ashraful facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mohammad Ashraful

Personal information
Born	(1984-07-07) 7 July 1984 (age 40) Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh
Nickname	Ash
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off break Right-arm leg break
Role	Middle-order batsman
International information
National side	Bangladesh (2001–2013)
Test debut (cap 17)	6 September 2001 v Sri Lanka
Last Test	25 April 2013 v Zimbabwe
ODI debut (cap 52)	11 April 2001 v Zimbabwe
Last ODI	8 May 2013 v Zimbabwe
ODI shirt no.	98
T20I debut (cap 14)	1 September 2007 v Kenya
Last T20I	31 March 2013 v Sri Lanka
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2000–2001	Dhaka Metropolis
2001–2011	Dhaka Division
2008–present	Mohammedan Sporting Club
2009	Mumbai Indians
2011–present	Dhaka Metropolis
2012–2013	Dhaka Gladiators
2012	Ruhuna Royals
2019	Chittagong Vikings
2020	Minister Group Rajshahi
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 61 177 163 265 Runs scored 2,737 3,468 8,361 5,851 Batting average 24.02 22.24 29.54 25.56 100s/50s 6/8 3/20 21/35 10/30 Top score 190 109 263 127 Balls bowled 1,733 697 11,820 2380 Wickets 21 18 194 65 Bowling average 60.52 36.72 35.27 31.41 5 wickets in innings 0 0 6 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0 Best bowling 2/42 3/26 7/99 4/28 Catches/stumpings 25/– 86/– 74/– 59/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 21 February 2020
Medal record Representing  Bangladesh Men's Cricket Asian Games Gold 2010 Guangzhou Team

Mohammad Ashraful (born 7 July 1984) is a famous Bangladeshi cricket player. He has played for the Bangladesh national team.

From 2007 to 2009, Ashraful was the captain of his country's team. He led them in 13 Test matches and 38 One Day Internationals (ODIs). Bangladesh won eight of these matches. Ashraful holds the record for the fastest fifty runs in both Test and ODI cricket for any Bangladeshi player.

He also played for local teams in Bangladesh, like the Dhaka Division cricket team. He sometimes captained these teams too. In 2014, he faced a ban from cricket for issues related to fair play. The ban was later reduced, and he returned to playing domestic cricket.

Playing Cricket at Home and in Leagues

Starting His Cricket Journey (2000-2001)

Ashraful played his first professional cricket match on 22 November 2000. He played for the Dhaka Metropolis cricket team. In this match, he scored 41 and 6 runs. He also took five wickets, which means he got five players out.

A few days later, he played his first List A match for Dhaka Metropolis. He scored 22 runs and took two wickets. Ashraful scored his first century (100 runs) in his second match. He made 101 runs against the Khulna team. His best bowling performance was taking seven wickets for 99 runs in a match in January 2001.

During the 2000–01 season, he played ten first-class matches. He scored 585 runs and took 39 wickets. He also played nine List A matches, scoring 85 runs and taking four wickets.

In November 2006, he set a new record for the highest score in Bangladeshi first-class cricket. He scored 263 runs against Chittagong Division. This record has since been broken by another player.

Playing for Mumbai Indians (2008-2009)

On 6 February 2009, Ashraful joined the player auction for the 2009 Indian Premier League. The Mumbai Indians team bought him. He played only one game for them and scored 2 runs.

Returning to Domestic Cricket (2011-2012)

Ashraful came back to play domestic cricket in 2011. He scored a century for Dhaka Division in the first match of the National Cricket League. His team, Dhaka, won the one-day competition. Ashraful was the second-highest run-scorer with 331 runs. He also took 7 wickets and was named the best player of the tournament.

For the 2011–12 season, the National Cricket League grew bigger. Ashraful became the captain of the new Dhaka Metropolis team. Even though he scored a century, he was not chosen for the national team to play against Pakistan.

Recent Domestic Performances (2017-2018)

In the 2017–18 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, he was the top run-scorer for Kala Bagan Krira Chakra. He made 665 runs in 13 matches. He was also chosen to play for Minister Group Rajshahi in the Bangabandhu T20 cup.

Bangladesh Premier League Success

The Bangladesh Cricket Board started the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in 2012. This was a new Twenty20 tournament. Ashraful was chosen as an 'icon player' for the Dhaka Gladiators team. Dhaka won the tournament. Ashraful scored 258 runs in twelve matches, making him the second-highest Bangladeshi run-scorer in the BPL.

In the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League, Ashraful scored 358 runs in 14 matches. He even scored a century (103 runs not out) against the Khulna Royal Bengals.

His International Cricket Journey

Making His Debut (2001)

Ashraful played his first ODI match against Zimbabwe on 11 April 2001. He scored 9 runs, and Bangladesh lost the match. He also took his first international wicket in this game.

Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, where Ashraful made his Test debut on 6 September 2001. He became the youngest player to score a century in Test cricket here.

Ashraful made his Test debut on 6 September 2001 against Sri Lanka. He scored the most runs for his team in both innings. Even though Bangladesh lost, Ashraful scored 114 runs. This made him the youngest player ever to score a Test century, breaking an old record. He was named the best player of the match. After this great start, he had some tough times and was not always chosen for the national team.

Ups and Downs (2003-2005)

Ashraful did not perform well in his first World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Bangladesh was out of the tournament early.

In 2004, Bangladesh played against Zimbabwe. Ashraful scored 51 runs quickly in one match, helping Bangladesh win. This was Bangladesh's first international win since 1999. He was named the best player of the match. In December 2004, he played against India and scored his second century, 158 runs not out. This was the highest score by a Bangladeshi player in a Test match at that time.

In 2005, Bangladesh toured England. They won only one ODI match, but it was a big surprise. They beat Australia, which was a huge upset in one-day cricket history. Ashraful scored 100 runs in that match, helping his team win, and was named the best player.

Continuing Challenges (2006-2007)

In 2006, he scored his third century, making 136 runs against Sri Lanka. He was also chosen for the Asian team in the first 2005 Afro-Asian Cup.

Ashraful batting

In March 2006, he scored 136 runs in a Test match against Sri Lanka. He won the man of the match award. In the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Ashraful was part of the Bangladesh team. Bangladesh made it to the second stage of the competition. Ashraful scored 87 runs against South Africa, helping Bangladesh win. This was the highest score by a Bangladeshi player in that World Cup. He was the top run-scorer for Bangladesh in the tournament.

Becoming Captain (2007-2009)

After the 2007 World Cup, Mohammad Ashraful was chosen as the captain of the Bangladesh team on 2 June 2007. He was 22 years old, making him one of the youngest international captains.

During a series against Sri Lanka in 2007, Bangladesh lost all their Test matches. However, Ashraful scored the most runs for Bangladesh. In one match, he scored 129 runs not out. In September 2007, he scored a very fast half-century in a Twenty20 match against the West Indies. It was the fastest T20I half-century at that time.

Ashraful training in 2009

In a match against South Africa, Ashraful got a player out in a very unusual way. The ball bounced twice before the player hit it, and Ashraful caught it. This was allowed by the rules of cricket.

After a period of difficult results, Ashraful was replaced as captain in June 2009. It was hoped that this would help him focus on his batting. Ashraful later captained Bangladesh again at the 2010 Asian Games. His team won the gold medal, which was Bangladesh's first gold medal at the Asian Games.

After Captaincy (2009-Present)

Mohammad Ashraful walking in to bat at Lords in a Test match against England in 2010.

Ashraful was not always in the national team after his captaincy. He was sometimes dropped due to his performance. However, he was still given a high-level contract by the Bangladesh Cricket Board in 2010.

He was part of Bangladesh's team for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He played three matches but did not score many runs. He was then dropped from the team.

Moving In and Out of the Team

In April, he captained the Bangladesh A team. His good performance, including a century, helped him get recalled to the senior team in August. He scored a half-century in a Test match against Zimbabwe.

He was kept in the Test team for the Pakistan series in 2012 but was dropped after the first match. His contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board was not renewed in 2012.

In October 2018, he was chosen to play for the Chittagong Vikings team in the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.

International Centuries

Key

• * – Means he was still batting and not out
• – Means he was named the best player of the match

Test Centuries by Mohammad Ashraful

Test centuries by Mohammad Ashraful

No.	Runs	Against	Pos.	Inn.	Test	Venue	H/A	Date	Result
1	114	Sri Lanka	6	3	2/3	Singhalese Sports Club, Colombo	Away	6 September 2001	Lost
2	158*	India	5	2	2/2	M. A. Aziz Stadium, Chittagong	Home	17 December 2004	Lost
3	136	Sri Lanka	5	1	1/2	Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong	Home	28 February 2006	Lost
4	129*	Sri Lanka	6	3	2/3	Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo	Away	3 July 2007	Lost
5	101	Sri Lanka	5	4	1/2	Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka	Home	26 December 2008	Lost
6	190	Sri Lanka	3	2	1/2	Galle International Stadium, Galle	Away	8 March 2013	Drawn

ODI Centuries by Mohammad Ashraful

ODI centuries by Mohammad Ashraful

No.	Runs	Against	Pos.	Inn.	Venue	H/A/N	Date	Result
1	100	Australia	4	2	Sophia Gardens, Cardiff	Neutral	18 June 2005	Won
2	109	United Arab Emirates	3	1	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore	Neutral	24 June 2008	Won
3	103*	Zimbabwe	3	2	Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo	Away	9 August 2009	Won

Images for kids

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  This graph shows Ashraful's Test match batting scores over time.