Dhaka win big after Ashraful special

Mohammad Ashraful came out of his pale self after a long time at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday where he hammered a blistering 73 off 47 balls for Dhaka Gladiators against Rangpur Riders in a BPL T20 match.Photo: STAR

* Mohammad Ashraful scores his T20 highest -- a 47-ball 73
* Rangpur Riders' Nasir Hossain hits a 49-ball 80 in losing cause

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It was an entertaining evening at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday as the crowd witnessed two top-class innings. While Mohammad Ashraful's stroke-filled 73 led the Dhaka Gladiators to a convincing 35-run victory over the Rangpur Riders, Nasir Hossain proved his ability to bat under pressure with an aggressive 80, albeit in a losing cause.
Batting first, the Gladiators set a huge total of 202 courtesy of a brilliant innings by Ashraful and some late hitting towards the end of the innings. Dhaka began on an aggressive note as both openers, Luke Wright and Ashraful, attacked a weak-looking Rangpur bowling attack. Ashraful in particular took advantage as he smacked eight fours and three sixes in his entertaining 73, a score that beat his previous best of 53 in the inaugural edition.
He took a special liking to the young Amit Kumar who he smacked for two huge sixes down the ground. The highlight of his innings was a drive through point for four off Tapash Baisya in the sixth over, a shot that came straight out of the text book.
Ashraful was ably supported by his teammates as he reached his 50 off 30 balls in the eleventh over. He shared a partnership of 57 off just 23 balls for the second wicket with Anamul Haque, the highest of the innings.
Ashraful was eventually stumped off Abdur Razzak in the 16th over while attempting to clear the rope. A few late blows from Owais Shah and Joshua Cobb helped Dhaka cross the 200 mark for the second consecutive time in the tournament.
In reply, Rangpur had the worst possible start as they crumbled to 31 for 3 in the first six overs. What followed was a 118-run partnership between Nasir Hossain and Niall O'Brien, which gave the Riders a glimmer of hope. Nasir, who came to bat at number 5, hit five fours and six sixes and almost single-handedly brought the Riders back into contention in the second half of the innings. His two sixes off Chris Liddle in the 17th over, both down the ground, in particular described how well he was hitting the ball. He surpassed his previous best of 42 scored in the inaugural edition.
The charge given by Nasir and Niall however, came a little too late in the innings. Nasir was caught in the fine-leg region when he top-edged a slog-sweep off Shakib Al Hasan in the 18th over, with over 50 odd runs still to get. Rangpur eventually finished on 167 for 4.
SCORES IN BRIEF
DHAKA GLADIATORS: 202 for 5 in 20 overs (Ashraful 73, Cobb 34 not out, Shah 28, Wright 22, Anamul 19, Shakib 13; Nasir 1-25, Tapash 1-31, Razzak 1-36)
RANGPUR RIDERS: 167 for 4 in 20 overs (Nasir 80, O'Brien 40 not out, Imrul 16, extras 16; Shakib 2-17, Lokuarachchi 1-42)
Result: Dhaka Gladiators won by 35 runs.
Player-of-the-match: Mohammad Ashraful.