Ashraful voted as 'Player of the Year' by sports journalists

[Miraz]

From BD News,

Dhaka, Nov 20 (bdnews24.com) - Mohammad Ashraful beat footballer Arif Khan Joy and teammate Aftab Ahmed for 'Bangladesherkhela.com Player of the Year 2005' award.

IMF Rani Hamid Monday announced the name of winner at a programme at Public Library Auditorium that very much became a reunion of players, organisers and journalists.

Sports journalists have picked Ashraful for the award.

Ashraful's father Abdul Matin received the trophy and cash award of Tk 50,000 as the middle order batsman is in Chittagong to play in the Ispahani Mirzapore Tea Eighth National Cricket League.

Ashraful, dropped Sunday from the national team, got 171 points, followed by Joy's 121 and Aftab's 98. A total of 179 sports reporters, sub-editors and editors cast their votes.

Ahsraful scored 395 runs in 14 one-dayers including a century against Australia at Cardiff in 2005. The youngest Test centurion hammered 331 runs in 16 innings, including a 136-run knock against Sri Lanka, the same year in Tests.

Captain Habibul Bashar won the 'Viewers' Choice Award' beating Mohammad Ashraful and Mohammad Rafique.

Sponsor Dekko Group's Managing Director Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury handed the award to Bashar.

Bangladesherkhela.com, Bangladesh's lone sports website, also awarded Hafcha Akter a special achievement award and a cash prize of Tk 10,000.

Physically-challenged Akter clinched a gold medal in the wheel-chair marathon for the disabled person in Japan in October last year, beating 250 athletes of 20 countries.

Hit by wild poliovirus in childhood, she launched an appeal to the rich to help the disabled people.

Bangladesherkhela.com this year introduced 'Lifetime Achievement Award' that went to late footballer Monem Munna. Munna's wife Suravi Munna received the award.

May be the last Player of the Year Award for Ashraful

Poor Ashraful, received Man of the Match award in the same day he was axed from National team and now receives Player of the Year in the very next day.