ULAB reaches Red Bull Campus Cricket final in Sri Lanka

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) for the first time reached the final of the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals 2016 after beating Pakistan’s University of Central Punjabn (UCP), Lahore, by two wickets at Galle International Stadium, Sri Lanka today.

Bangladeshi private university ULAB will face Business Management School of Sri Lanka in the final tomorrow at Galle International Stadium, according to a press release issued by the institution.

With three runs needed off the final over, Maraj Niloy fell leg-before to Ali Sultan but next ball, Morsalin Mortaza struck the winning runs when his single turned into five runs through an over-throw.

Opener and captain Md Hasanuzzaman gave ULAB a blazing start with 35 runs off 17 balls before Niloy’s 28 from 23 balls got them very close to the 153-run target.

Mohammad Mohsin, Aftab Azwer and skipper Ali Sultan shared six wickets between themselves.

Earlier, UCP made 152/8 in 20 over.

ULAB’s Mahbubur Rahman picked up three wickets while Arifur Rahman bagged two. Arifur is now the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 10 scalps from four matches.

En route to the semi-finals, ULAB defeated University of Sydney, Australia, by 10 wickets, lost to Loughborough University, England, by 25 runs before winning their final group stage match against Assupol Tuks Cricket, University of Pretoria, South Africa, by one wicket.

ULAB, the reigning Twenty20 private university champion of Bangladesh, were invited by the tournament organisers as they earlier participated in the same tournament twice in Sri Lanka and England previously. This is the third time ULAB are partaking in the Red Bull Campus Cricket.

Eight cricket playing nations are taking part this year to battle it out for the World Championship.

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), Bangladesh; Business Management School (BMS), Sri Lanka; University of Sydney, Australia; Loughborough University, England;  MarathwadaMitra Mandal College of Commerce (MMCC College),  India; University of Central Punjab, Pakistan;  Assupol TuksCricket, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Heriot Watt University, Dubai, UAE.