Ahmed_B
June 24, 2007, 02:03 PM
This story is published in the SriLankan daily "The Island" on 24th June, 2007. Direct link to the article cant be provided since it is only available for registered members. I am quoting the whole article here. :)
Link to the Daily's homepage here.. (http://www.island.lk/)
From scorers’ dungeon to a captain’s stardom
by Reemus Fernando
Except for a joke cracked by ever-jovial Thushara Cooray, the cricket scorer who is popular among many Sri Lankan journalists, there would be hardly anything pleasing inside a warm scoreboard in Sri Lanka. With no ventilation, no illumination and only the disturbing rattling of metal plates keeping your company, no cricketer would ever dare to climb up the narrow staircase leading to the bench of the scorer, though that is where the history of the game is first recorded. But during the early days of any cricketer, he may have the odd occasion where he has to spend a miserable day helping a scorer identify the players of his team on the field.
Undoubtedly, the player would not be the best in the team or to be fair by him he would not be the best friend of the coach who orders the bloke to help the scorer. On a hot and sunny day in the year 2000, a lanky fifteen-year-old from Bangladesh happened to climb up the narrow staircase to the scorer’s desk at Moors Ground, Colombo. It was the Under-19 World Cup held here in Sri Lanka where Bangladesh had little success. And he unfortunately had to climb up to the scorer on more than one occasion as he was just a standby player during the entire tournament.
Looking down from the scorers’ desk, the teenager who played second fiddle to a losing side in this Under-19 World Cup, vowed to play a lead role for Bangladesh one day. And when Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka this week the then teenager has kept his promise and actually the lad whom we call Mohammad Ashraful has gone beyond the target he set for himself at the Moors score board that day.
"He used to swear from the score board that day that he would play for Bangladesh one day and many of us used to laugh at the fifteen-year old when he said that," reminisces Thushara Cooray, the official SLC scorer (of the 2000 Under-19 World Cup) who is probably the most privileged scorer to have got the assistance of a Test Captain in his young ages!
Thushara, who had Ashraful assisting him on many occasions during Under-19 World Cup, adored the determination the prospective youngster had when he was just a fifteen year old.
"We could see the determination in his eyes when he said that and many can take inspiration from him to strive for success," said Thushara who had seen the rise and the downfall of many star cricketers from a small window of his second home, the scoreboard.
Actuality, Mohammad Ashraful made his dream come true in the very next year when he made his debut in 2001 against Sri Lanka at a very tender age of seventeen.
Though Bangladesh crashed to defeat, Ashraful could still manage a smile on his face.
With a sparkling hundred against hosts Sri Lanka, he became the youngest man to make a Test century and mocked his scoreboard critics who used to laugh at him during that Under-19 World Cup.
Though he has had his ups and downs, Ashraful has been responsible for many memorable victories for Bangladesh since then and his century against Australia which later set Bangladesh up for their astonishing victory in the Nat West Series. It is one of such memorable contribution by him.
In his next tour to Sri Lanka, Ashraful failed badly getting out to loose shots but yet again provided an example for youngsters to follow him when he overcame the bad patch through determination and became the captain of his country at the age of 22.
Gone are the horrible days where the standbys had to spend hours adoring the first xi with their chins of fists. And here is your saint. And you who have him as your role model will soon be playing where you want and won’t be helping the scorers any more.
Link to the Daily's homepage here.. (http://www.island.lk/)
From scorers’ dungeon to a captain’s stardom
by Reemus Fernando
Except for a joke cracked by ever-jovial Thushara Cooray, the cricket scorer who is popular among many Sri Lankan journalists, there would be hardly anything pleasing inside a warm scoreboard in Sri Lanka. With no ventilation, no illumination and only the disturbing rattling of metal plates keeping your company, no cricketer would ever dare to climb up the narrow staircase leading to the bench of the scorer, though that is where the history of the game is first recorded. But during the early days of any cricketer, he may have the odd occasion where he has to spend a miserable day helping a scorer identify the players of his team on the field.
Undoubtedly, the player would not be the best in the team or to be fair by him he would not be the best friend of the coach who orders the bloke to help the scorer. On a hot and sunny day in the year 2000, a lanky fifteen-year-old from Bangladesh happened to climb up the narrow staircase to the scorer’s desk at Moors Ground, Colombo. It was the Under-19 World Cup held here in Sri Lanka where Bangladesh had little success. And he unfortunately had to climb up to the scorer on more than one occasion as he was just a standby player during the entire tournament.
Looking down from the scorers’ desk, the teenager who played second fiddle to a losing side in this Under-19 World Cup, vowed to play a lead role for Bangladesh one day. And when Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka this week the then teenager has kept his promise and actually the lad whom we call Mohammad Ashraful has gone beyond the target he set for himself at the Moors score board that day.
"He used to swear from the score board that day that he would play for Bangladesh one day and many of us used to laugh at the fifteen-year old when he said that," reminisces Thushara Cooray, the official SLC scorer (of the 2000 Under-19 World Cup) who is probably the most privileged scorer to have got the assistance of a Test Captain in his young ages!
Thushara, who had Ashraful assisting him on many occasions during Under-19 World Cup, adored the determination the prospective youngster had when he was just a fifteen year old.
"We could see the determination in his eyes when he said that and many can take inspiration from him to strive for success," said Thushara who had seen the rise and the downfall of many star cricketers from a small window of his second home, the scoreboard.
Actuality, Mohammad Ashraful made his dream come true in the very next year when he made his debut in 2001 against Sri Lanka at a very tender age of seventeen.
Though Bangladesh crashed to defeat, Ashraful could still manage a smile on his face.
With a sparkling hundred against hosts Sri Lanka, he became the youngest man to make a Test century and mocked his scoreboard critics who used to laugh at him during that Under-19 World Cup.
Though he has had his ups and downs, Ashraful has been responsible for many memorable victories for Bangladesh since then and his century against Australia which later set Bangladesh up for their astonishing victory in the Nat West Series. It is one of such memorable contribution by him.
In his next tour to Sri Lanka, Ashraful failed badly getting out to loose shots but yet again provided an example for youngsters to follow him when he overcame the bad patch through determination and became the captain of his country at the age of 22.
Gone are the horrible days where the standbys had to spend hours adoring the first xi with their chins of fists. And here is your saint. And you who have him as your role model will soon be playing where you want and won’t be helping the scorers any more.