5 innings' of Mohammad Ashraful that changed the fortunes of Bangladesh cricket forever

Mohammad Ashraful was a right-handed Bangladeshi batsman, who was highly admired during his early cricketing days for his capability of recording eye-catching innings'.

The talented batsman kicked off his career with a record-breaking century against Sri Lanka on Test debut in Colombo. But attitude problems and inconsistent batting displays meant Ashraful's career did not pan out as it was supposed to be.

The batsman was banned by an independent tribunal from playing all form of cricket for his involvement in match and spot-fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) back in 2013. His five-year-long ban has now been lifted, meaning he's eligible to play all formats of the game.

In the recently concluded Players Draft of BPL's next season (2019), Ashraful was picked up by Chittagong Vikings. It means he is all set to make a comeback to the BPL, and it will be his first high-tier cricket tournament after the ban.

Despite all the negatives, the talented right-hander has provided his nation with some amazing match-winning performances. In this article, we look back at his 5 best knocks for Bangladesh:

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#1 Century on Test Debut at Colombo

Mohammad Ashraful after hitting in his Test debut at Colombo, 2001

Mohammad Ashraful's eventful career started in Sri Lanka back in 2001 when he smashed a century on Test debut at Colombo. Ashraful was only 17 years and 61 days when he achieved this amazing feat.

Hitting a century in his first Test, he broke the world record of being the youngest Test centurian on debut surpassing Hamilton Masakadza of Zimbabwe.

Ashraful smashed 114 runs off 212 balls when Bangladesh was just finding its feet in Test cricket. The world saw his inherent batting ability in that match. The right-hander smashed his first ever Test ton playing against bowlers like Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, who are often considered as best in their business.

The right-handed batsman has registered six Test centuries so far in his 61-match career. Majority of his centuries have come against the island nation, 5 to be precise, showing his affinity for the Lankan bowlers. His only other century against India which was another pearl of his career.

#2 158* against India in Chittagong, 2004

Ashraful's 158* was the then highest Test score by a Bangladeshi batsman

Bangladesh hosted India in 2004 for a home series for the first time in their cricketing history. That Indian team was well decorated with the players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and many more, and all these stars were in the best form of their lives.

In the end, team India beat Bangladesh in the series without much fuss but one Bangladeshi stood out: Mohammad Ashraful.

The then 20-year old played an unbeaten inning of 158 in Chittagong facing the likes of Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble. That mighty strong show of Mohammad Ashraful was like a statement to the world that 'yes, we can compete in Test matches!'

The right-handed batsman hit 24 boundaries to go along with his three sixes. His 158 remained as highest Test innings by a Bangladeshi until Mushfiqur Rahim scored 200 against Sri Lanka at Colombo in 2013.

#3 100 (101) against Australia in Cardiff, 2005

Ashraful helped Bangladesh achieve perhaps their best victory to date

What is the biggest upset ever in the history of one-day internationals? Quite a few games might be coming to your imagination, perhaps, and it's pretty sure that you are also noticing Bangladesh's unexpected win over the greatest Australian team in 2005 at Cardiff in the Natwest Series.

That was only the second instance when Bangladesh had beaten a world champion after beating Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup.

Mohammad Ashraful smashed his first and his second one-day century overall for Bangladesh at a strike rate of 100.0. That knock was well enough for the Tigers to outplay the Australians for the first time in their history.

Knocking that history-making century, the right-handed batsman showcased that how good he can be on his day. That victory in Cardiff changed the fortune of Bangladesh cricket forever.

That victory started their rise in the cricketing world as a new force, and still, that knock inspires many Bangladeshi batsmen to show their talent at the highest level of cricket.

#4 94 off 52 balls against England in Nottingham, 2005

Days after his match-winning ton, Ashraful smashed a quick 94 versus England

Ashraful's career is often described as a documentary of being consistently inconsistent, but he was unquestionably different during the Natwest Trophy 2005. Right after architecting Bangladesh's first ever win over Australia with a 100-ball-century, Ashraful showed his firepower again versus England, this time smashing 94 off 52 balls.

During the early 2000s, Bangladeshi batsmen used to play in ODI cricket with a mentality to last till the final over of the match. Going for big shots against a team like Australia was seen as a daring thing for them. But, Ashraful showed that he had the ability to hit Steve Harmison for a one-drop boundary through the covers.

England posted a mammoth target of 392 runs in that match on the back of Andrew Strauss' 152 and Paul Collingwood's unbeaten 112. Eventually, Bangladesh lost the match by 168 runs. But, what Mohammad Ashraful did, is still memorable for the Bangladeshi supporters.

#5 87 against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup, Providence

Ashraful helped Bangladesh achieve a rare victory over the Proteas

Was Mohammad Ashraful an overrated batsman? This question is not rare in the cricketing arena. The right-handed middle-order batsman tried to answer this question on many occasions. One of those occasions came against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup, when he hits 87 by 83 balls and Bangladesh beat South Africa for the first time in their history.

While knocking that famous inning, Ashraful hit few beautiful cover drives that will live in the memory of the ardent Bangladeshi supporters.

Bangladesh posted 251 for the loss of 8 wickets on that match with the help of Mohammad Ashraful's 87 off 83. Tamim Iqbal and Aftab Ahmed chipped in with 38 and 35 respectively.

While chasing the sub-par total, the South Africans got bundled out for 184. Herschelle Gibbs hit an unbeaten fifty, but that was not enough to avoid a loss. Abdur Razzak, the left-handed spin-bowling legend, took three wickets to help Bangladesh register their maiden win over South Africa.