Rubel leads pacers’ party
Perhaps the most positive aspect of the ongoing three-team BCB President's Cup is the pace bowlers stepping up and making a huge impact for their sides.
The wicket-takers' chart of the fifty-over tournament is dominated by pacers, with the likes of Rubel Hossain, Al Amin Hossain, Ebadot Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin and young Shoriful Islam regularly outperforming the spinners.
As important as the wickets they have taken has been their consistency in line and length and their efforts to extract some life from the Mirpur wicket, which has been sporting throughout the tournament.
The experienced Rubel certainly stands tall among the lot as he is at the top of the wickets list, having picked up 10 wickets in four games at an economy rate of well below four runs per over, including his brilliant four-wicket haul against Tamim XI yesterday.
The cricketer from Bagerhat tends to hit the deck hard and has tried to get something from the pitch at good pace and a perfect line and length, which has made him a lethal force in this tournament.
The 30-year-old pacer has been instrumental with the new ball and managed to get early breakthroughs for Mahmudullah XI consistently and yesterday was no exception.
Rubel, right from the start, tempted the batters by maintaining a tight channel on the fourth and fifth stump line and got the reward immediately. He started off by picking young Tanzid Hasan Tamim with a banged-in three-quarter length delivery which rose sharply and took the left-hander's edge through to the slip fielder.
Credit should also be given to another pacer, Abu Hider, who was bowling from the other end as the left-arm seamer kept the pressure on from one end, which helped Rubel pick up wickets as the batsman chased the right-arm seamers' away going deliveries.
His next victim was Anamul Haque Bijoy, who was caught in two minds over whether to play the shot or not and offered up a simple catch to cover off a Rubel delivery well outside the off stump.
The pacer was brimming with confidence and also used variations like the slower ball and at times tried to bowl in the blockhole, keeping the batsmen guessing all the time.
Mohammad Mithun also paid the price as he became Rubel's third wicket, courtesy of an outside edge to the keeper as Tamim XI were struggling on 17 for four inside nine overs.
Much like with the new ball Rubel was also instrumental with the old cherry as well and coming into his second spell the pacer managed to give the all-important breakthrough for his side by picking up the wicket of Maidul Islam Ankon for 57.
Courtesy of Rubel's magnificent figures of four for 34 from his 10 overs, including three maidens, Tamim XI could only post 221 for eight in 50 overs.
As the Tigers head coach Russel Domingo said before the tournament, he is focusing on creating a group of seven to eight pacers who could play in all three formats both home and away, the BCB President's Cup will undoubtedly encourage the South African.
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