Patel blitzes Dhaka

A blistering cameo from Samit Patel took Rajshahi Kings to a six-wicket victory over Dhaka Dynamites and in the process gave Darren Sammy’s team their first win of the Bangladesh Premier League in the evening match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. 

With 32 required off the last five overs, Sabbir Rahman relieved the little pressure there was by opening the face of the bat to steer Mohammad Shahid to the third man fence off the first ball of the 16th over. It became easier still when Patel added another boundary through point in the fourth ball of the over. Patel was in no mood for niceties as he hit Nasir Hossain for a four in the following over and followed it up with a huge six over in the very next ball to leave just nine runs to win from the last three overs. 

Another Patel four followed in Ravi Bopara’s next over, and although Sabbir departed in the penultimate over for a 39-ball 31 with just one run to get, victory was sealed when Shahid bowled a wide the very next ball to hand the Kings their win with 11 balls to spare. Patel remained unbeaten for a 25-ball 44 with six fours and a six.  

The evening match could have been a much tighter affair. Dhaka’s strong bowling attack, led by skipper Shakib Al Hasan, was always going to be a challenge on an unfriendly Mirpur square which has just seen three higher totals than Dhaka’s 138 in the seven matches played so far. Mominul Haque and Rony Taukdar however started well, putting on 27 in 2.5 overs before an ill-advised single attempt after the latter had played the ball to short third man found a diving Mominul short of his crease. 

Shakib then capitalised on the opponents’ setback by having Talukder stumped in the very next over. Kings’ Pakistani import Umar Akmal then steadied the ship with a 38-run third-wicket stand with Sabbir Rahman. It was not a brisk one, however, as it came off 39 balls and when Akmal was caught at point off Abu Jayed in the 10th over, the door seemed open for a collapse as Rajshahi needed 74 runs from 61 balls. Samit Patel however came in and hit his first ball for four and with Sabbir batting solidly, coupled with a 14-run 13th over bowled by Bopara which included a Sabbir boundary and five wides, Rajshahi were soon on level terms. 

Earlier, Rajshahi Kings put in a strong display with the ball to restrict Dhaka to 138 for five. Dhaka may have fared much worse if not for a polished, unbeaten 59 from young Mosaddek Hossain that rescued them after they were wobbling at 43 for four.  

Rajshahi captain Darren Sammy chose to field and started with medium-pacer Forhad Reza and young Bangladesh spin wizard Mehedi Hasan Miraz. The 19-year-old had almost immediate success, bowling Sri Lanka batting legend Kumar Sangakkara with a straighter one in the last ball of the second over. 

Mehedi Maruf, who scored a dashing 45-ball 75 in Dhaka’s first match against Barisal on Tuesday, tried his best to overcome the setback with a 30-run stand with Mahela Jayawardene, but it all unravelled when both were dismissed in the seventh over bowled by Samit Patel. Jayawardene perished trying to clear long on while Mehedi was trapped in front trying a sweep. 

Dhaka skipper Shakib then became the third wicket to fall with the score on 43 when, in a near repeat of his dismissal in the first

Test against England last month, he charged down the track to his first ball and was beaten by a Miraz turner to be stumped. 

Mosaddek and Ravi Bopara then averted disaster by putting on a 53-run fifth-wicket stand which ended when Bopara was caught at point in the 16th over. Dwayne Bravo then stayed with Mosaddek, who hit a six and six boundaries -- two of them in the penultimate over – in his 46-ball knock to take his team to a competitive total.