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Ashraful keen to start coaching career


Published : 05 Jun 2023 09:19 PM

Mohammad Ashraful may have not been able to return to the national cricket team following his ban but youngest Test centurion did not give up hope altogether as he now aims to return in a different role in the coming days. Ashraful recently completed level three coaching course in UAE and wishes to start his coaching career after the end of this season as he plans to quit competitive cricket altogether sooner than later.

Ashraful spoke at length with Cricbuzz regarding his ambition as a coach, revealing how his dark phase can help him become a good coach. Here are the excerpts:

You have just completed Level three coaching course? How was the experience?

Ashraful: It was really great and amazing. I completed level 2 coaching earlier in England but if I wanted to become a professional coach and in that case I am required level 3 coaching degree and I happy to complete it. I am grateful to Aminul Islam and BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury to help get a chance to do the course.

There course was arranged by Afghanistan Cricket Board and there were only two outsiders that was me and another one was a South African. It was conducted by Ross Taylor and Allan Campbell among others and everything went on quite well.

So, have you decided to end your cricket career altogether?

Ashraful: I will decide after playing in the upcoming National Cricket League. I want to score 10000 first-class runs and need 808 runs to reach the milestone. Later I’ll decide whether will be playing further or not but honestly, I understand that I am almost at the end of my career as a professional cricketer.

Bangladesh coaches are not very welcomed in the national dressing room and many believe that board doesn’t have enough faith on local coaches? How do you see this and do you feel in future this can change that will pave ways for local coaches to be in the driving seat in national dressing room?

Ashraful: Actually, we don’t have coaches of that caliber and there was Sujon (Khaled Mahmud) for some time.

But Mahmud’s career as national head coach ended prematurely?

Ashraful: Changes will gradually happen, of course. Because there is a change in other country as they are inclined to have local coaches as national head coach. Hopefully, it will happen here too but we also have some responsibility because if we do a good job than maybe the mindset will change.

In coaching, you actually have two options. One is a batting coach and the other is a head coach. As a former batter, which role do you think will would suit you more?

Ashraful: I want to develop myself as a head coach. Actually, those who have level-3 coaching qualifications are eligible to become a head coach of a country. Under that, there is a batting coach, a fielding coach. I’m just at the beginning of my career as professional coach and I know at the beginning I won’t have many options while I cannot make demands but when I become experienced, then maybe I can say what I want. But I feel I can handle the role of head coach and batting coach in first-class cricket now.

If you get the chance to work in BCB age-level group, will you seize that opportunity?

Ashraful: Definitely. Whenever an opportunity arises, I want to seize it and I want to work anywhere. I want to learn and that is what I desire now. After that, it’s about gaining experience.