Portsmouth’s statement’ by signing former Test captain
Portsmouth CC have pulled off a coup by signing former Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful.
Now 39, the top order batter played 269 times for his country - 61 Tests, 175 one-day internationals and 23 T20 internationals.
His highest Test score was 190 against Sri Lanka in 2013 and he famously made a one-day century - 100 off 101 balls- when Bangladesh beat Australia at Cardiff just before the legendary 2005 Ashes series took place.
And Ashrafal has already wasted no time in showing his new team-mates what he can do in this summer’s Southern Premier League second tier promotion bid.
Arriving in the UK last Thursday, he struck 66 off 64 balls against Waterlooville in a friendly two days later and 24 hours after that retired after reaching 100 in another warm-up game against Portsmouth University at St Helens.
He is in line to make his competitive debut this Sunday in a National Cup tie against Sussex outfit Middleton, also at St Helens.
Portsmouth chairman Matt Shaw told The News: “We’ve had Fraser Hay as our overseas player for four out of the last six seasons and he has big shoes to fill.
“We got on the front foot as soon as last season ended. We spoke to an agent and Mohammad’s name cropped up - I thought ‘you only live once!’
“By bringing in a player of that calibre, we’re looking to make a statement.
“He’s also an ICC level 3 coach, so it will be a massive boost for the colts to be coached by him.”
Ashraful played the last of his 183 first class matches in February last year, ending his career with 9,192 runs at 28.63. Of those, he compiled 2,737 Test runs at 24.00.
Ashraful is not the only new face in the 1st XI squad, though, as Portsmouth aim to improve on their fourth-placed SPL Division 1 finishes of 2022 and 2023.
Top order batter Harry Gadd, who now lives just a few hundred metres from St Helens, has left Havant to drop down into the second tier. Off-spinner Tom Lewis has also arrived, having taken 58 wickets for South Wilts 1sts and 2nds in Southern League games in the past two years.