Mushfiqur makes light work of stiff chase
Mushfiqur Rahim hammered an unbeaten 145 -- his highest List A score -- as he helped Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club chase down Prime Doleshwar's 304 with six wickets and four overs remaining at the BKSP-2 yesterday in the second round of the Dhaka Premier League's Super League competition.
The day also witnessed Gazi tank Cricketers take a two-point lead at the top of the table after they beat Prime Bank Cricket Club by six wickets at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at Mirpur. Meanwhile at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah, Mohammedan Sporting Club beat Kalabagan Cricket Academy by 76 runs in a low-scoring game.
There were three centurions at the BKSP-2 yesterday on a track that seemed to support the batsmen. It began with Prime Doleshwar, after electing to bat first, posting 304 for seven in the first innings. Doleshwar rode on their English recruit Joshua Cobb, who scored 123 off 130 balls. Cobb, who began on a watchful note, ended up scoring five sixes and 10 fours before being caught off Dilshan Munaweera in the 42nd over. He had dispatched the third and fourth deliveries for sixes before getting caught off the fifth. A 66-ball 61 from Dawid Malan, towards the end, helped Doleshwar get past the 300-mark.
In reply, Sheikh Jamal got off to a bad start as Shohag Gazi removed opener Jahurul Islam in the second ball of the innings. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were struggling at 90 for three with Dilshan Munaweera retiring hurt at the end of the 14th over.
But a 189-run stand for the fourth wicket between Mushfiqur and Steven Crook (100), who scored his first ever century in List A cricket, brought Sheikh Jamal back into the game and in the end led them to a comfortable win.
Mushfiqur paced his innings to perfection and hit five sixes and twelve fours in 118 balls. Apart from a let-off in the 30th over when he was dropped on 85 off Gazi, Mushfiqur seemed to be in sublime touch. He was particularly harsh against Doleshwar's spinners whom he hammered for 15 of his 17 boundaries. Crook too reached his 100 off just 83 balls. The innings saw him smack seven fours and six sixes.
Gazi Tank chased down Prime Bank's 247 with 2.4 overs remaining at Mirpur yesterday. Batting first Prime Bank posted 247, courtesy of Ravi Bopara's 95. In reply, Gazi Tank -- who had stumbled to 121 for 4 in 29 overs -- rode on half-centuries from Ryan Ten Doeschate (68) and Mahmudullah Riyad (67) to reach home with six wickets remaining. Ten Doeschate hit six sixes and two fours in his 60-ball innings while Riyad hit five fours and two sixes in 79 balls.
The pair shared an unbeaten 121-run fifth-wicket partnership.
England's Samit Patel scored 86 runs and took 3 for 25 at Fatullah yesterday as he led Mohammedan to a 76-run win yesterday. Batting first Mohammedan scored 226. In reply, Kalabagan were restricted to 150 for 9.
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