Bowlers rule the roost:
Bangladesh and Gazi Tank captain Mohammad Ashraful plays a bowler's back drive against his national team deputy and Abahani skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (R) during a Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. Inset, Six Shooter Robiul: Gazi Tank young paceman Robiul Islam shows the ball with which he destroyed Abahani with a six-wicket burst at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday. Photo: STARThe first big match of the Premier Division Cricket League turned into a big disappointment when star-studded Gazi Tank thrashed defending champions Abahani by six wickets in a low-scoring match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.
A six-wicket burst by young paceman Robiul Islam made sure that national captain Mohammad Ashraful-led Gazi were set for another stroll in the park against Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's much vaunted sky blues.
The victory also completed a delightful double for newcomers Gazi after their eight-wicket triumph in the Twenty20 final against Abahani last week.
On a day when the bowlers dictated terms, national pacer Sajedul Islam took a five-for which included the league's first hattrick as Mohammedan cruised to a massive eight-wicket victory against Partex at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium after their disappointing tied game against Pegasus on Sunday.
Another Tigers paceman Mahbubul Alam hogged the spotlight at BKSP as Biman rode on the right-arm pacer's five wickets to score a six-wicket win over Young Pegasus. It was Biman's second successive win.
GAZI-ABAHANI
Although it was a face-off between the two most exciting exponents of the country's cricket Ashraful and Mashrafe, it was heart rendering to see the stands almost empty at Mirpur. If this was a disappointing sight then what took place in the middle was even more dismal.
It was an exhibition of poor cricket in the league's first big match mainly because of Abahani's reckless batting. Credits must go to young pacer Robiul who exploited his outswingers well to wrap up Abahani's innings for 105 runs in 24.3 overs.
"It's actually poor batting," reflected national team coach Jamie Siddons after witnessing the first-half of the game.
Like the previous game, Tamim Iqbal and Rony Talukdar got off to a confident start but the rot began once Tamim was trapped in front by Robiul, ending a 30-run opening stand. Tamim was unhappy with the decision and stood his ground for quite sometime before trudging back to the dressing room.
Rony, an aggressive opener who scored a century in the first match, was Robiul's second victim after top scoring for Abahani with 30 off 22 balls that featured five boundaries. After that wickets fell like ninepins with only number seven Rezaul Karim standing in the ruins with an unbeaten 21.
Abahani brought veteran Indian batsman Amol Muzumdar to strengthen the middle-order but the right-hander made a first-ball duck with national pacer Rubel Hossain having him trapped lbw.
Robiul finished with 6 for 37 runs while Enamul Haque took two wickets for 11 runs.
Abahani's poor fielding added more woes to their misery as Talha Jubair dropped both openers Imrul Kayes and Mohammad Mithun. Mashrafe finally removed Kayes with the scoreboard reading on 23 as Gazi's innings underwent a glitch when they lost three more wickets in the span of seven runs.
But Ashraful took the charge hitting eight dazzling boundaries during his unbeaten 28-ball 36 as Gazi reached their winning target losing four wickets in 22 overs, after a half an hour lunch break.
MOHAMMEDAN-PARTEX
The fate of the match was all but written on the wall in the very second over, when Sajedul Islam removed Wasiur Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim and Tareq Ahmed in successive deliveries to strike the first hattrick of the league as Partex were reduced to 4 for 14 after they decided to bat first.
Partex failed to recover from the initial hiccup and were bundled out for 87 runs in 26.3 overs.
Sajedul claimed five wickets for 18 runs while Tareq Aziz Khan and left-arm spinner Sohrawordi Shuvo took two wickets each.
In reply, Mohammedan traversed on Nasiruddin Faruque's unbeaten 77-ball 45 to reach the target in 26.2 overs.
BIMAN-PEGASUS
Zahurul Islam struck an unbeaten 74 after Mahbubul's five-wicket haul as Biman earned a comfortable victory against Young Pegasus.
One-down Zahurul smashed seven fours and a six in his 103-ball knock while inform Shakib Al Hasan hit five fours during his 40-ball 41 as the last year's runner-up made 168 for 4 in reply to Pegasus's 166.
Earlier, Sri Lankan Ruvin Pieres scored 52 off 89 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and Mohammad Jubaer contributed 40 off 53 balls that contained two fours and a six as Pegasus recovered from 31 for three to make 166 runs.
Mahbubul captured five wickets conceding only 21 runs in 8.5 overs.
BRIEF SCORES
ABAHANI: 105 all out in 24.3 overs (Tamim 6, Rony 30, Sahagir 15, Nasir 0, Amol 0, Nadif 1, Rezaul 21 not out, Sunny 4, Mashrafe 9, Zia 0, Talha 7, extras 12; Robiul 6-37, Rubel 1-43, Enamul 2-11, Ashraful 1-8)
GAZI TANK: 106-4 in 22 overs (Kayes 14, Mithun 26, Anwar 8, Nayeem 1, Ashraful 36 not out, Pravanjan 11 not out, extras 10; Mashrafe 2-36, Zia 2-22)
Result: Gazi Tank won by six wickets.
PARTEX: 87 all out in 26.3 overs (Wasiur 10, Sazzadul 17, Nazmul 10, Azim 13, extras 22; Tareq 2-26, Sajedul 5-18, Shuvo 2-10, Pankaj 1-11)
MOHAMMEDAN: 89-2 in 26.2 overs (Shamsur 13, Nasiruddin 45, extras 4; Rashed 1-6, Rezaul 1-21)
Result: Mohammedan won by eight wickets.
PEGASUS: 166 all out in 47.5 overs (Rahat 15, Ruhul 11, Rovin 52, Bashar 11, Maruf 12, Jubaer 40, extras 10; Shahadat 1-25, Mahbubul 5-21, Neaz 1-38, Nabil 1-26)
BIMAN: 168-4 in 39.4 overs (Sadat 16, Zahurul 74 not out, Shakib 41, Rahul 14, extras 15; Rubayet 1-16, Zakaria 1-31, Ruhul 1-15, Nayeem 1-6)
Result: Biman won by six wickets.
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