'I still dream of nat'l return'

Although Mohammad Ashraful became the first Bangladeshi batsman to strike three consecutive centuries in List A cricket by smashing an unbeaten ton in Kalabagan Krira Chakra's Dhaka Premier League relegation playoff match yesterday, his side confirmed their relegation after suffering a six-wicket defeat against Brothers Union at the BKSP-3 in Savar yesterday. Ashraful's fifth hundred of the season was overshadowed by a blistering 115 from Brothers opener Mizanur Rahman.

After coming in at the fall of the first wicket in the second over of the match, Ashraful occupied the crease for 137 deliveries and reached his hundred with his 10th four off the last ball of the innings. Kalabagan however managed to post a modest 253 for three in 50 overs, which Brothers chased down with 33 balls and six wickets to spare.

Mizanur's second hundred of the season was a 104-ball 115 with six sixes and 11 fours. After his dismissal, Yasir Ali took the team home with an unbeaten 45. The losing team of the last relegation game between Brothers and Agrani Bank on April 4 will be relegated alongside Kalabagan.

It has been a mixed bag for former Bangladesh skipper Ashraful as three of his five centuries have come in losing causes. However, since returning from his match-fixing ban last year, this was the right hander's most successful season where he is now the leading run scorer with 655 runs in 13 games at an average of 66.50.

Consistency has been the biggest question about Ashraful's batting, and according to Test cricket's youngest centurion, it was Bangladesh ODI skipper and his friend Mashrafe Bin Mortaza who inspired him to work on his weakness at the start of the season.

"To be honest after scoring two ducks I had a chat with Mashrafe and the type of realisation he helped me reach worked really well for me. I have trained on my skill over the past four years but hadn't worked on my fitness and food habits. Mashrafe told me that I have the skill but I should work on my fitness. I then concentrated on my food habits and at the same time worked on my batting, did a lot of throwdowns. So there was luck, motivation... it all came together at the same time, which really helped me score consistently," Ashraful told The Daily Star yesterday.

The 33-year-old, who last played for the national team in an ODI against Zimbabwe in May 2013, still harbours hopes of returning to the national team.

"I have received the maximum amount of opportunity in the national team because of my ability to score big runs. I always had the habit of scoring big and converting my fifties into hundreds. To be honest I do dream of playing for the national team again and for that I have to do something exceptional and I have always thought of doing something different, such as smashing a pull shot off Brett Lee or Shoaib Akhtar, and that was the reason why everyone liked me," he said.