He batted like a king: Tamim

Mahmudul Hasan did not make as much impact as expected after his stint as captain of the Bangladesh Under-19 team. But he displayed his quality during his match-winning hundred against Abahani to give his side Kalabagan Cricket Academy their first win in seven matches in the Dhaka Premier League at Fatullah yesterday.

How good was his 111-ball 106-runs innings?

“I must say it was a superb knock. A matured innings indeed and he single handedly took away the match from us. He knew when he should take risks and he never seemed out of control during his knock. I don't know whether it would be an exaggeration, but he batted like a king,” was the praise showered by none other than Abahani skipper Tamim Iqbal.

Few things could be sweeter for a captain than making a hundred after taking three wickets to lead his side to their first win, and that too against a team like Abahani. So understandably, the 25-year old all-rounder from Gaibandha was ecstatic.

“I am very happy. I had a wonderful day with both bat and ball,” said Mahmudul.

But he was quick to give full credit to his team like a true leader for their first win in the competition. “I must give credit to my team. Everybody performed their hundred per cent and that's why we finally won the match. It was not an easy job to bowl on this pitch but still our bowlers could restrict them to 282, so it was teamwork.” 

When Mahmudul was trapped in front by left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib in the 45th over, his team still needed 16 runs from 34 deliveries with three wickets in hand. But the Kalabagan Academy captain was hardly in any doubt over his team's victory. “We were sure about our win.”

Mahmudul was not ready to consider their victory as an upset as he said that they won the match as the better team.

 “We had the confidence that we could overtake the total. It was a batting paradise and I told everybody that they should play positive cricket. There is no way one can say it was an upset because we played better cricket to win this match,” said Mahmudul.

While their fourth defeat in seven matches put Abahani's chances of a Super League berth at risk, Kalabagan Cricket Academy's first victory gave them hopes of avoiding relegation.

“Our first target is to avoid relegation. If we can continue the performance we put in today then we definitely will be able to avoid relegation,” he hoped.