From Aminul to a genius
Sports Reporter
For the last four years Aminul Islam held the record for the highest individual Test innings for Bangladesh. His epic 145 in the Inaugural Test against India in November 2000 looked unbeatable until Sunday afternoon when an irrepressible Mohammad Ashraful crossed that landmark at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong. It was unfortunate for Aminul that he could not even see Ashraful's magnificent 158 not out on television as live telecast of the second Test between Bangladesh and India was not available in Sydney, were the former national captain now resides with his family. But Aminul could feel every pulse racing through the player he fondly called his 'little brother'. "It's really unfortunate I could not see the moment because in Sydney ESPN was not available. But I have followed his innings ball-by-ball via the Internet. I was astonished at the pace by which Ash raced from 60 to 90. And when he reverse swept Harbhajan Singh I could feel there was no stopping him," said Aminul while giving his reaction to The Daily Star over phone yesterday. "I would have loved anybody in the team going past my mark but the fact that Ashraful did it fills my heart with special joy. I have seen him grow up in front of my eyes and I never had any doubt about the talent he possessed. I believer he will be the first Bangladeshi batsman to score a double hundred, said Aminul who congratulated Ashraful afterwards. "He (Ashraful) sent me an SMS after breaking my record. But I have been trying to reach him by phone for hours," said the right-hander who finally was able to talk to the new record holder late last night. "I think this hundred ranks among the best in Test cricket this year."
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