DT
26
BPL 2015
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015
POINTS TABLE Teams
Mat
Won
Lost
Pts
6
4
2
8
Barisal
5
4
1
8
Rangpur
6
4
2
8
Dhaka
6
3
3
6
Chittagong
7
2
5
4
Sylhet
6
1
5
2
Comilla
COVvDD COMILLA VICTORIANS INNINGS Liton Das† c Doeschate b Mosharraf Shehzad c †Sangakkara b Farhad Reza Imrul Kayes lbw b Mustafizur Rahman Shoaib Malik c Waller b Yasir Shah Mashrafe Mortaza* b Yasir Shah Ashar Zaidi not out Alok Kapali st †Sangakkara b Nasir Shuvagata c Shadman b Farhad Reza Dolar Mahmud not out Extras (lb 6, w 2)
R 31 9 7 8 2 45 10 21 0 8
B 34 11 7 13 5 29 10 11 0
Total (7 wickets; 20 overs; 100 mins) 141
Bowling
Comilla Victorians’ Pakistan recruit Ahmed Shehzad (L) runs in to join captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza after the latter picked up the wicket of Dhaka Dynamites batsman Ryan ten Doeschate during their 2015 Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 in Chittagong yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK
Comilla at the top after Dhaka win n Mazhar Uddin from Chittagong Even the presence of a limping Mashrafe bin Mortaza was enough for Comilla Victorians to seal their fourth win in the third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20. Defending a moderate total of 141/7 against Dhaka Dynamites at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday, the Victorians were victorious by 10 runs. Young paceman Abu Haider Rony and Mashrafe bowled superbly as Dhaka finished
their chase on 131/6. At one stage, Dhaka required 44 runs from 30 balls with seven wickets in hand but Comilla staged a great comeback and eventually won the match with ease. In pursuit of 142, Dhaka did not look comfortable in the initial stages and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Nasir Hossain (32) and Kumar Sangakkara (30) were the only exceptions for Dhaka as the rest of the batsmen struggled to prolong their innings. Rony continued to have a fine BPL 3, pick-
TALKING POINTS (COVvDD) LKD’s moment of brilliance Liton Kumar Das’ excellent work brought Comilla back into the game just when Dhaka were cruising to their target with Kumar Sangakkara well set on 30. In the last ball of the 11th over, Nasir Hossain calmly defended Shuvagata Hom’s delivery as it hit the batter’s pad and rolled away towards the leg-umpire. Sangakkara called for a single, didn’t anticipate Liton’s aim, and paid heavily. After helping Comilla with a handy 31, Liton caught Sanga short of the crease as he was quick in removing the gloves and take a sharp turn to nail his throw at one stump. It definitely was the turning point behind Comilla’s fourth win.
Low-key Zaidi continues to shine Ashar Zaidi isn’t a big name when it comes to playing a foreign player in the BPL. But the 34-year-old left-handed all-rounder has proved his worth for the Victorians by his timely contributions with both bat and ball. Yesterday the Pakistani-born English cricketer contributed a scintillating 29-ball unbeaten 45 to pull his side from early misery and guide them to a match-winning total. It was the second time Comilla needed his services with the bat in the tournament; in the previous match he smashed an unbeaten 53 against Sylhet.
Sanga leads batting chart but Dhaka suffer It is often said Sri Lankan Sangakkara’s ODI retirement was a premature one, as the elegant left-hander is still in sublime touch with the bat. It was an easy choice for Dhaka to name him as the captain of the side and it is clear that the full team revolves around the maestro.
ing up 2/30 from his four overs while Mashrafe was economical, giving away only 18 runs from his four overs, and also picked up the important wicket of Ryan ten Doeschate. Earlier, some lusty blows at the end from Pakistani-born English cricketer Ashar Zaidi helped the Victorians to a fighting total after struggling early on. Zaidi remained unbeaten on 45 off just 29 balls, featuring three sixes and two fours, as Comilla added 60 runs in their last five overs to post a challenging total. l
Abul Hasan 3-0-18-0, Farhad Reza 3-0-26-2, Mustafizur Rahman 4-0-33-1, Yasir Shah 4-0-262, Shykat Ali 2-0-10-0, Nasir Hossain 3-0-19-1, Mosharraf Hossain 1-0-3-1
DHAKA DYNAMITES INNINGS Shykat Ali run out (Shoaib Malik) Shadman Islam b Shuvagata Hom KC Sangakkara*† run out (†Liton Das) Nasir Hossain c Mashrafe b Abu Hider Doeschate c sub (Ariful) b Mashrafe MN Waller c Shuvagata b Abu Hider Abul Hasan not out Farhad Reza not out Extras (lb 4, w 8)
R 8 10 30 32 11 11 12 5 12
Total (6 wickets; 20 overs; 114 mins)
131
B 12 11 27 30 15 10 11 4
Bowling KMDN Kulasekara 4-0-23-0, Abu Hider 4-030-2, Shuvagata Hom 4-0-24-1, Shoaib Malik 2-0-17-0, Mashrafe Mortaza 4-0-18-1, Ashar Zaidi 1-0-10-0, Alok Kapali 1-0-5-0 Comilla Victorians won by 10 runs
Half-fit Mash enough for Victorians Rahman Rohan n Reazur from Chittagong
A fighter both on and off the field, a half-fit Mashrafe bin Mortaza was enough to lead Comilla Victorians to their fourth win in six matches at the ZACS yesterday. Despite carrying an injury, Mashrafe was brave enough to stay on the field and bowl a superb four-over spell to see his side through with major support from Ashar Zaidi’s bat.
You limped during the game and looked uncomfortable bowling. Carrying any injury?
I suffered a hamstring tear in the last match (on left leg). I was not supposed to bowl (yesterday).I had to bowl since Dollar [Mahmud] got injured too. So I bowled at a short run-up. Do not know what I will do in the next game (today).
Reaction to Mustafizur Rahman’s achievement?
This is a huge achievement for all of us. I hope he can hold on to the success. At one time he will also seal a place in the
Test team for sure. At such a young age he reached such a big height, this is a proud moment for Bangladesh. We never thought he could achieve so much, in such a short time. Not only the ICC team, but his arrival changed the whole balance of our team. ICC team is just a new addition to his tally. However, I do not want this achievement to add extra pressure on him. Things can change and he can go through two-three bad games. It is our responsibility from the outside not to give him that mental pressure. If he can serve the Bangladesh team for 10-15 years, he will reach a place where no one else ever reached.
The franchise even expressed earlier that they were not able to make a balanced team, but Comilla has won four matches now and are placed at the top half of the points table. Your take on that?
I believe in ability, not team. Yes, a balanced team was needed, but we could not settle well as the foreign players are coming in and out. [Marlon] Samuels left, [Sunil] Narine was unfortu-
nate, [Krishmar] Santokie is injured as [Ahmed] Shehzad and [Shoaib] Malik arrived on Tuesday night. Liton [Kumar Das] also suffered from fever, [Kamrul Islam] Rabbi is still unfit while Dollar got injured (yesterday). So like other teams we do not have a settled seven-eight players in the side. I always believe in our own capability as everyone has the capacity to perform at this stage. We can lose a match or two, but what’s important to me is whether the process on and off the field are going well. Dhaka, Rangpur, Sylhet can be a good team but we have to do our work.
Ashar Zaidi’s impact on the team?
We had difficulties in getting our foreign players. Andre Russel is there but he will come after five matches. We needed someone from the beginning and he has experience of playing here (for Legends of Rupganj in Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League). In the last two matches he took us to a position from which we started believing that we could defend (the total). I am grateful to him. I hope he can hold on to the form. l