People's prince turns pauper

Mohammad Ashraful dispelled the doubts, if there was any, that he has betrayed his millions of fans when he briefly appeared in front of the public address system on Tuesday and confessed: “I have done a number of wrong things in my 12-year career. And I apologise to everybody for what I have done.”
A small statement, yet the impact devastating. Is it the fall of the people's prince? Is it the crashing end of a career that started with a magnificent century on Test debut at the tender age of 17? Is it the answer to why Ashraful, despite his unbridled talent, was an enigma in international cricket? Were all those inexplicable shots Ashraful played more than just impulsive actions? Did he genuinely miss out on what could have been his first double-century in Sri Lanka earlier this year?
We might get a few answers or we might not. But one thing is for sure -- Ashraful, who emerged on the Bangladesh cricket scene as the brightest star, is destined to end as a pauper and perhaps will be recalled in the future as a betrayer who opened the Pandora's box.
But for someone who had seen him growing up on the greens at the Bangabandhu National Stadium or at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium and has fallen in love with a genius, it is hard to gauge the harsh reality.
Hailing from a not-so-well-off family, Ashraful's determination to be a professional cricketer was exemplary and those who closely followed him believed that the hardships he had undergone then would auger well for him in the future. His first tour was in Sri Lanka as a member of the Bangladesh Under-19 team in 2000. On that tour Ashraful came across the luxury a cricketer can enjoy. The young players stayed at a hotel in Galle. It was a fort built by the Portuguese, which was turned into a luxury hotel to comfort a high-end clientele.
Ashraful was enjoying time with other players in the posh swimming pool of that hotel when a well-wisher came forward and whispered: “Don't look at the luxury you are enjoying here. It will be with you as long as you only focus on your cricket.”
A year later Ashraful entered into real cricket in the same country in a fashion that others can only dream of. His century on Test debut was the first glimpse of what he was capable of and for Bangladesh cricket, it heralded a new dawn. A dawn with a new meaning -- we are no longer afraid of our imposing opponents and we are no longer fearful of playing our shots.
But it is hard to believe that the sun did not shine brightly after that; instead it burnt Ashraful to ashes. Perhaps it was the luxury he chose instead of playing cricket like a gentleman.