Mohammad Ashraful aims for comeback as coach

Mohammad Ashraful may have not bee able to return to the national cricket team following his ban but Bangladesh's former captain did not give up hope altogether as he now aims to return in a different role in the coming days. Ashraful recently completed level three coaching course in UAE and wishes to start his coaching career after the end of this season as he plans to quit competitive cricket altogether sooner than later.

Ashraful spoke at length with Cricbuzz regarding his ambition as a coach, revealing how his dark phase can help him become a good coach. Here are the excerpts:

You have just completed Level three coaching course? How was the experience?

Ashraful: It was really great and amazing. I completed level 2 coaching earlier in England but if I wanted to become a professional coach and in that case I required level 3 coaching degree and I happy to complete it. I am grateful to Aminul Islam and BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury to help get a chance to do the course. There course was arranged by Afghanistan Cricket Board and there were only two outsiders that was me and another one was a South African. It was conducted by Ross Taylor and Allan Campbell among others and everything went on quite well.

So have you decided to end your cricket career altogether?

Ashraful: I will decide after playing in the upcoming National Cricket League. I want to score 10000 first-class runs and need 808 runs to reach the milestone. Later I'll decide whether will be playing further or not but honestly I understand that I am almost at the end of my career as a professional cricketer.

Bangladesh coaches are not very welcomed in the national dressing room and many believe that board doesn't have enough faith on local coaches? How do you see this and do you feel in future this can change that will pave ways for local coaches to be in the driving seat in national dressing room?

Ashraful: Actually, we don't have coaches of that caliber and there was Sujon (Khaled Mahmud) for some time.

But Mahmud's career as national head coach ended prematurely?

Ashraful: Changes will gradually happen, of course. Because there is a change in other country as they are inclined to have local coaches as national head coach. Hopefully, it will happen here too but we also have some responsibility because if we do a good job than maybe the mindset will change.

In coaching, you actually have two options. One is a batting coach and the other is a head coach. As a former batter, which role do you think will would suit you more?

Ashraful: I want to develop myself as a head coach. Actually, those who have level-3 coaching qualifications are eligible to become a head coach of a country. Under that, there is a batting coach, a fielding coach. I'm just at the beginning of my career as professional coach and I know at the beginning I won't have many options while I cannot make demands but when I become experienced, then maybe I can say what I want. But I feel I can handle the role of head coach and batting coach in first-class cricket now.

If you get the chance to work in BCB age-level group will you seize that opportunity?

Ashraful: Definitely. Whenever an opportunity arises I want to seize it and I want to work anywhere. I want to learn and that is what I desire now. After that, it's about gaining experience.

So you are prepared to guide the Under-15 or Under-17 cricketers?

Ashraful: Yes, I will do it. But I feel it would be better for me to work at the senior level rather than the junior level because I am still an active player myself. Coaching is quite challenging, not as easy as teaching the ABCs. I believe I can excel in game plans, tactics, and such things. Since I am still playing, it would be easier for me to teach those who are elite players. At the top level, tactics are more important than technique. Analyzing different situations in the game, understanding why runs are not being scored or why wickets are not falling, all those details need to be explained to you. It will be difficult for me to explain it to a child at the beginning. It will require a lot of experience to do that. Sujon bhai and Salauddin bhai, what they are doing, they have a lot of experience. They have been working since 2007-08, and they have 15-16 years of experience and now they can teach a young kids but It won't be as easy for me to work with children as it requires huge amount of experience as a coach.

You were banned for fixing and went through a lot in your career? Do you feel it can benefit you as a coach?

Ashraful: Certainly that experience will help because these days there are lot of franchise-based tournaments and I can understand what is happening seeing someone and not only that if someone is in trouble in this regard I can guide him in recovery and in making a comeback.

You had another option as well, becoming a selector. Why didn't you consider that?

Ashraful: I have the desire to become a selector but not now because the job of a selector is an honorable job and it should last for two to four years and it is not a job that I'll be doing for 10-12 years. After the end of my coaching career I want to be a selector but for now, after ending my career as a cricketer, my aim is to be a coach as it will help me give back something to the nation.