Sk Jamal thru’ to Super League

Source: Star

Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club’s Abdur Razzak smacks his way to an 18-ball 39 against Brothers Union at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

When man-of-the-match Abdur Razzak and Zimbabwean Elton Chigumbura demolished the bowling attack to amass 74 runs from the last five overs, the writing was all but on the wall for Brothers Union yesterday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. In the final analysis it was their unbeaten eighth-wicket partnership that made the difference as Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club entered the six-team Super League with a 70-run victory in their Dhaka Premier League re-match. It was a stirring turn of fortunes for Jamal as they replaced Brothers in the six-team competition, which will start from tomorrow. Brothers won the match on November 9 against Jamal by six wickets but they had to play a re-match as that authenticity of that game, in which Brothers fielded a suspended player, was called into question and Mushfiqur Rahim’s men grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
The morning had however hardly shown the day as Sheikh Jamal lost two quick wickets with 10 runs on the board after Mushfiqur decided to bat first and Iftekhar Sajjad Rony gave the perfect start for Brothers. But it was Mushfiqur (43) who joined Jahurul Islam (69) to seize the early initiative by associating 83 run in the third-wicket stand.

Steven Crook then steadied the ship after the departure of his skipper with a composed half-century but the loss of a few wickets helped Brothers keep their opponents in check as Sheikh Jamal reached just 208 for seven in the 45th over. But Razzak’s 18-ball 39 with four boundaries and two sixes and the fiery knock of Chigumbura, who clobbered four sixes and two fours during his unbeaten 49-ball 50, helped Jamal set a challenging total of 282.
In reply, Brothers lost wickets at regular intervals before being bundled out for 212.  Nafis Iqbal played a sensible knock during his 85-ball 62 that featured eight sweetly timed boundaries while Alok Kapali made the next highest with 45, but Brothers’ think tank left everyone bewildered by sending Zimbabwean Sean Ervine to bat at number eight. His big hits during a 34-run knock only increased the bewilderment of all present.

SHEIKH JAMAL: 282-7 in 50 overs (Jahurul 69, Mushfiqur 43, Crook 56, Chigumbura 50 not out, Razzak 39 not out; Rony 2-15, Sanjamul 2-54, Kapali 3-34)
BROTHERS UNION: 212 all out in 46.2 overs (Nafis 62, Ervine 34; Munaweera 2-38, Razzak 3-32, Tanvir 2-9)
Result: Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club won by 70 runs.