Najmul XI grab second win after Afif’s 98
Najmul XI bowlers did their job after the batsmen put on a formidable score on the board as they attained their second win in the tournament, defeating Mahmudullah XI by 131 runs. With today's win, Najmul XI now top BCB President's Cup points table with four points.
Nasum Ahmed, leggie Rishad Ahmed and Abu Jayed Rahi, who was playing his first match of the tournament, were amongst the wickets as the tournament-high 265-run target they set for Mahmudullah XI never looked under any serious threat.
Liton Das looked good during his run-a-ball 27, playing some classy shots on both sides of the wicket but the innings crumbled once he fell to Nasum leg-before wicket. Experienced stars like Mominul Haque (13 off 32) and skipper Mahmudullah Riyad (11 off 10) failed to make their presence felt during the big chase while Sabbir Rahman did not make the opportunity to play a long innings count, falling cheaply after scoring 10 off 17.
Nurul Hasan provided some resistance in the end with an unbeaten 28 but eventually Mahmudullah XI folded for 133 all-out. Nasum and Rahi bagged three wickets each while Rishad bagged two.
Earlier, Najmul XI were in early trouble losing Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain inside six overs. Parvez Hossain looked good for his 19 before a yorker from Sumon Sarkar struck him plumb in front and was give out leg-before. Afif came in and together with Mushfiqur Rahim, reconsolidated the innings. Afif got a brisk start before settling into a match-winning knock, playing fluently all around the wicket. The left-hander provided the bulk of the acceleration needed in the middle overs during his 108-ball 98 and was unfortunate to miss out on a ton due to a confusion in running between the wicket with Mushifqur. Before that the duo added 147 for the fourth wicket and Irfan Shukkur's unbeaten 31-ball 48 saw Najmul XI finish off strongly at 264 for eight. Rubel Hossain was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 53 while Ebadat Hossain bagged two for 60 in his 10.
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