Countdown to Eid-ul-Ashraf (100 runs for now)

[Ashfaq]

If I have learned anything from watching Ash for close to ten years, I think he'll come out swinging tomorrow morning and won't cross 75.

[BD Tigers]

In sha Allah...

[WarWolf]

Originally Posted by Ashfaq
If I have learned anything from watching Ash for close to ten years, I think he'll come out swinging tomorrow morning and won't cross 75.

I also have the same fear. But I honestly hope that he would prove us wrong.

[cricket_pagol]

Hopefully with so much competition in the team, this Ashraful will be different.

[Zeeshan]

Ash, screw tuktukani. Go and play your natural game lol. :p

Go out their all guns blazing to score 401 from 12 balls. Thanks.

And over.

[Miraz]

This is Ashraful. Most likely he will be out within first 5 overs tomorrow morning.

[Rubu]

Here is what is likely to happen tomorrow.

20% chance - Out first ball.
20% chance - Out first over.
20% chance - Out within 5 overs.
20% chance - Out within adding 10 runs.
15% chance - Out in the 90s.
4% chance - century and out next ball.
1% chance - 120+ innings.

[Zeeshan]

Question: What does it feel like to be Mohammad Ashraful?
Answer:

200 beckons Ashraful!

Ash said in an interview that although vox populi demands his head, he will go out their with middle finger up middling every ball for six, four or three. Three , yes - as Ash's hidden weapon is his rotation with apt support provided by someone they go by "The Mominul."

Now, when I met Ashraful in University of California, Irvine library he said in a non-chalatant that "200 beckons Ashraful. Ami ashraful 200 chai."

Thus I asked if he's planning any special. He said that if I shall join him for a latte and iced mocha over brunch perhaps he can explain his daily routine to me.

So without further pechal here is his version of the story:

I usually get up early in the morning around 3am and get stoned. Rumi said this is the best way to contact with spirits and I believe in intergalactic aliens with whom I go into a trance like meditation. Then I do jnana, bhakti, hatha yoga -- all at once. I get into unusual rhythmic postures with japa of self talk mantra and getting into bat like upside down position like da Vinci Code author Dan Brown to generate creative waves in my brain.



Then I envision every cricket game permutationslike 3 dimensional chess moves in my mind which plays around like a theater of holographic memory. I can recall any stats of mine provided it's only in Sri Lanka.

Then over breakfast I go over with my secretary over my ritual for net practice. I prefer spin bowlers, that too left handed, off spin.

I know everything about ball trajectory but I specialize in that region. I can rip a dissertation in magnus effect and the whirling pattern of air from trail of a ball if not played in vacuum but a smoked environment.

Then I do 100 pushups, 100 situps, 100 uthboshes in a row for 100 minutes and go on to eat post-breakfast of 100 parathas, 100 dalpuris, 100 alupuris, 100 velpuris and 100 chicken biryanis in a flask mixed and matched and poured with a gamla of 100grams of burhani.

Yes.

Then I hit the library. I don't read Wisden but Wisden reads me like a biography. I have supernatural patience and can sustain tremendous pressure to reach that zenith of so called 200 mark.

Yes.

And when asked about his superhuman willpower to overcome any obstacle and difficulty, he talked of the metaphor of the hati and bamon:

Hati is your Mind. Bamon is your diminutive self. Then bamon rides the hati one day and travels to Occident but say he gets into accident and breaks his leg. Then war comes but due to his breaking of leg, he gets hired since he is expendable.

That's it. Bamon lost his life, his soul even after giving everything in his life and rose to achieve great stature and fame. You see people are ungrateful, they don't appreciate the unimaginable heights the bamon takes a man to.

That's how the phrase, bamon hoye chaad dekhar shopno koron na? came from

So what does Ashraful have in store for us? We live [sic intended] the viewer with his own words:

200, 300, 400, 500....your limitation is what you set yourself. If I want 2000 runs I can get that tomorrow. I have the willpower. I can do anything and overcome anything. I have overcome tremendous obstacles in daily life from jumping to elevator heights button to fakibazi in rollercoaster rides of 'you must be this tall to get in'...anyhoo, point is. Your mind is your enemy, Your mind is the elephant. Control your mind, no matter if you are bamon, but you can acheive anything you want naturally, irrationally or transcendentally.

In the words of Schopenhauer: Cricket God Sachin is dead.

[BANFAN]

Originally Posted by Ashfaq
If I have learned anything from watching Ash for close to ten years, I think he'll come out swinging tomorrow morning and won't cross 75.

What matters is; what he has learnt in that period. Lets see if he has.

[BANFAN]

Originally Posted by M.H.Rubel
"Eid-ul-Ashraf"
I liked this word very much.Still I am laughing.
Thanks for nice innovative humour.

You are quiet late to catch up. It's already a cliche ...

[Miraz]

Originally Posted by BANFAN
You are quiet late to catch up. It's already a cliche ...

I miss Pagol_Chagol, "Ashraful is like Eid, Lots of fun twice a year".

I think this phrase was coined in early 2006.

[Zeeshan]

Same can be said about osculations of Miraz bhai.

[cricket_pagol]

i have a feeling that Ashraful is changing for the better... I guess i am being hopelessly unrealistic. Besides, Ashraful is psychologically stornger against SL, I would be less optimistic against other teams.

Hilarious part will be that he will start talking about his second coming after this innings (if successful)

[WorldCup11]

Originally Posted by cricket_pagol
i have a feeling that Ashraful is changing for the better...

I think you are right, ash BPL e chain_churi korar por practice matcheo confidently korlo , ekhon zodi azker match e Lanka-churi kore taile eta Eid hobe ken? Eid bochore koibar hoi?

Ekdin ash mathe namlei chain_churi sudu somoyer bepar hobe, Eid r keo bolbena.

[Rifat]

Originally Posted by Rubu
Here is what is likely to happen tomorrow.

20% chance - Out first ball.
20% chance - Out first over.
20% chance - Out within 5 overs.
20% chance - Out within adding 10 runs.
15% chance - Out in the 90s.
4% chance - century and out next ball.
1% chance - 120+ innings.

what about 100-119? no possibility of that?

[One World]

We would score 500/4 by tea and declare leaving Srilanka tottering for last 10 overs of the day.

[Sohel]

I'm hoping to avoid an innings defeat and Sir M.A. Mtin's fifth test in Sri Lanka will play a part in that. I hope others also stand up and be counted in this innings and when we're following on in the next.

[al Furqaan]

Still hopeful of avoiding the follow on!

[Nadim]

Cholen kulakuli kori.


Let's start to countdown to 200 now

[cricket_pagol]

Originally Posted by Rubu
Here is what is likely to happen tomorrow.

20% chance - Out first ball.
20% chance - Out first over.
20% chance - Out within 5 overs.
20% chance - Out within adding 10 runs.
15% chance - Out in the 90s.
4% chance - century and out next ball.
1% chance - 120+ innings.

Rubu bhai, make more 1% predictions, please!!!!

[Sohel]

Virtual kola_kuli everyone.

[crikss]

Eid Mubarak guys enjoy!!!

[WarWolf]

Great work. Job is not finished yet. Ash please double the figure.

[Miraz]

Eid Mubarak.

This is a different innings I must say. Not typical Ashrafulesque innings.

[al Furqaan]

Originally Posted by Miraz
Eid Mubarak.

This is a different innings I must say. Not typical Ashrafulesque innings.

I watched both this one and his 73 v ZIM 4 innings ago...very classy and flawless - as perfect as they come in this sport. Ash may have finally moved a notch up. He needs to be rested from ODIs and T20s and just focus on #3 position in Tests. Move Anamul to 4 and push Riyad back down and have Jaharul open with TIK.