DT
26 Sport
MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015
Mahmudullah calm as usual n Minhaz Uddin Khan
The upcoming bilateral series against Pakistan will be competitive and it will be the home side that will be wearing the favourites tag, feels Mahmudullah. The resurgent No.4 batsman echoed the tones of his teammates Shakib al Hasan and Rubel Hossain, who earlier expressed their confidence, and informed that the positive World Cup campaign made all the difference. Mahmudullah, who usually batted at No.7, fully utilised his opportunity of batting at the top and his calm approach saw him return from Australia-New Zealand as the most successful Bangladesh batsman with 365 runs under his belt. Bangladesh’s first World Cup centurion, Mahmudullah struck back-to-back hundreds in the mega event and overnight became one of the superstar in the country. Scan Cement signed the 29-year-old as their brand ambassador yesterday where Mahmudullah expressed his confidence for the coming series. “Our performances in the World Cup have boosted our confidence. We played consistent cricket and this will give us the courage in the Pakistan series. We will go into the series as favourites.” Pakistan team contains world class fast-bowlers like Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali and Mohammad Irfan and the trio will be a headache for the home side batsmen. In order to prepare fully couple of left-arm seamers we called to bowl in the Tigers net yesterday that also included Abul Hasan Rony. “We have few left-arm pacers in the nets and at the same time we played Pakistan in a World Cup warm-up match so we have some idea about them,” Mahmudullah said adding that he is not basking on the glory. l
TICKET PRICES Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur Gallery
Former national striker Enamul Haque continued his fine form in the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League as his brace helped Muktijoddha SKS to a 2-1 win over Chittagong Abahani at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. Enamul, who also netted against Soccer Club in their opener, guided the Reds to the summit with maximum six points while Chittagong Abahani suffered their second consecutive defeat. Meanwhile in the day’s other match, Abahani returned to winning ways after drawing their opening game 2-2 against Rahmatganj MFS as the Sky Blues put four past Soccer Club without reply at the same venue. Abahani’s Hungarian recruits Szabolcs Csorba and Gabor Demjen continued to impress as they shared three goals between them. The four-time professional league champions began their campaign with a disappointing draw but they did not take long in putting
Test
Hosp/Corp Box
3000
1000
BCB Hosp Lounge (North)
2000
1000
Grand Stand
1000
300
VIP
500
100
Shahid Mushtaque/Jewel
300
75
Northern/Southern
150
50
Eastern
100
20
Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, Khulna Gallery
Test
BCB Corporate Box
1000
Grand Stand West/East
300
International West/East
100
Club House West/East
75
Western
50
Eastern
20 * All tickets exclusive of tax
United Commercial Bank Limited branches in Dhaka: Bijoynagar (UCash), Bashundhara (UCash), Mirpur Road (UCash), Mirpur
Uniter Commercial Bank Limited branches in Khulna Main branch (UCash), Khan Jahan Ali Road Tickets go on sale this Wednesday
Nasir Hossain congratulates BCB North Zone teammate Mahmudul Hasan after the latter reached 100 against Islami Bank East Zone in the BCL one-day final at SBNS yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK
Enamul carries Reds, Abahani ride on Hungarians n Shishir Hoque
ODIs/T20I
behind their frustrations as Csorba put Abahani ahead in the 22nd minute. An unmarked Csorba received a pass from Pranotosh Kumar, dribbled past a defender and tapped home past Soccer Club goalkeeper Ahsan Habib. Demjen doubled Abahani’s lead on the stroke of the first half whistle, placing home from inside the box after a cutback from Komol Majumder. Csorba grabbed his second and his side’s
TODAY’S MATCHES Sheikh Russel vs Brothers Union Team BJMC vs Mohammedan
RESULTS Muktijoddha
2-1
Enamul Haque 53, 83
Abahani Szabolcs Csorba 22, 78 Gabor Demjen 45+1 Mamun Miah 90+1
4:15pm 6:30pm
Chittagong Abahani Sumon Ali 45
4-0
Soccer Club
third in the 75th minute. Demjen teed up Csorba with a square pass and the latter made no mistake slotting home past Habib. Defender Mamun Miah completed the rout in time added on with a fine solo effort. Mamun guided home after brilliantly anticipating a cross from almost the halfway line. Elsewhere, Enamul scored both his goals in the second half, allowing the Reds to come from behind and earn a 2-1 victory. Enamul is in magnificent form as his brace took his season tally to eight, more than any other player. The veteran forward scored five times in the season-opening Federation Cup and impressed again yesterday, much like the opener against Soccer Club. However, it was the visitors, Chittagong Abahani, who went ahead just before the first half whistle courtesy Sumon Ali’s strike from a goalmouth melee. Enamul though equalised quickly after resumption which was followed by some intense pressure from the Reds. And seven minutes from the final whistle, Enamul sealed the fate of the match with a superb volley from the edge of the box. l
Unoccupied Tigers begin home series preparation n Mazhar Uddin Seven of the Bangladesh cricketers began the short preparation camp for the home series against Pakistan under Chandika Hathurusingha at the Mirpur indoor facilities yesterday. “We have enjoyed the training session. Although we don’t have enough time, we are confident of preparing well within this time,” said Soumya Sarkar, who attended the training alongside Mahmudullah, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and rookie opening batsman Rony Talukdar. Skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza was also present but he did not sweat it out in the nets. The remaining Tigers members were occupied in the Bangladesh Cricket League oneday tournament final at the Sher-e-Bangla National stadium while Shakib al Hasan was in India playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. The premier all-rounder returned to the capital yesterday to join the national camp. Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Sabbir Rahman, Abul Hasan, Arafat Sunny, Nasir Hossain and Mominul Haque were the cricketers engaged in the final match at Mirpur. The full squad are expected to start training from today with the Pakistan team arriving on the same day. The first of the threematch ODI series will be played on April 17 at SBNS. Pakistan, with three different captains in three formats, will also play a Twenty20 international followed by two Tests.l