Ashraful blindsided by BCB axe before West Indies series

Bangladesh sacked batting coach Mohammad Ashraful late on Saturday, four days before the West Indies Test at Mirpur. A short press release named Mohammad Salahuddin as the emergency stand-in. Ashraful said the call came after Maghrib prayers: he was being rested, but would stay on his three-month contract and wait for future assignments. The move follows a dismal white-ball run where the Tigers won nothing and never reached 200 in the tri-nation series.