-═════ι▬▬ The Dhaka Gladiators ▬▬ι═════ﺤ

[Ian Pont]

Originally Posted by zsayeed
Coach Ian: Can you tell us what ail's Ashraful the most? He has a lot of talent, but appears to be not at ease. What can you do to help him so that he can be all that he can be. This is a sincere request. Thank you.

Let me repeat something I said over a year ago and add to it: Ashraful is the most talented Bangladeshi batsman ever produced.

When he bats properly, truly properly, he bats to a world class standard that only Shakib can get close to. This is my genuine opinion. During the BPL he played some incredible shots, placed to perfection, effortlessly for example.

I cannot comment on how other coaches have dealt with Ash or how they work with him, but from my viewpoint we hit it off well. I feel we got almost the best out of him with Dhaka Gladiators.

Deep down I think Ash need challenges to excel and finds things far too easy sometimes. In the BPL he was playing alongside other world class players who showed their skill levels. I feel Ash responded to this. He WANTED to play.

Any cricketer needs to feel wanted, loved, valued and important. But they also need to feel challenged. The secret is in working with a player who has this level of ability and making him an important asset. Ultimately, it is all about the player himself and what motivates him.

With Ashraful, the talent is clearly there.