CONTRACTS have been signed between Bangladesh Test captain Mohammed Ashraful and Evesham Cricket Club for the forthcoming Birmingham Premier League season.
Ashraful, aged 23, is currently ranked at 51 in the world's top batsmen in the ICC tables and is the youngest-ever player to have scored a Test century against Sri Lanka in 2001.
Ashraful was appointed captain of Bangladesh last year and club chairman David Higginson expressed his delight despite changes to the International Cricket fixture list that may yet prevent his participation in Evesham's 2008 campaign: "Signing Ash is a tremendous coup for Evesham and we are all very excited at the prospect of him joining us this year."
Ashraful's arrival has, however, been delayed by a fortnight following Australia's withdrawal from their planned tour of Pakistan.
Ashraful is an outstanding talent. At 17, he was the youngest player to score a Test match century. He hit a run a ball 100 to chase down Australia's 250 at Cardiff in 2005 and scored the fastest international Twenty20 fifty (20-balls) against the West Indies in the recent Twenty20 World Cup.
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