Nabi steadies Vikings ship

After four straight defeats, the Chittagong Vikings needed something special to revive themselves. They needed someone to stand up and show them the way home and that light at the end of the tunnel was shown by Mohammad Nabi at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.

The Afghanistan all-rounder came in at number six and smashed the fastest half-century of this season to lead the Vikings to a 19-run win.

At the start of the game when the Vikings were put in to bat, it seemed as though Tamim Iqbal's men were headed for yet another defeat. They were struggling at 69 for four after 10 overs. The Chittagong dressing room seemed down and out and the home fans, who had gathered at the ZACS in numbers, were not making much noise.

However, the scenario changed from the 12th over. Anamul Haque and Nabi got together and decided to provide one last push for a win and ultimately hammered 121 runs in the last 10 overs.

The onslaught began with Anamul and Nabi hitting Samit Patel and Darren Sammy for sixes down the ground in overs 12 and 13.

Milinda Siriwardana received similar treatment in the next over with Nabi hitting him for a powerful six over cover and gathering 14 runs from that over.

With three sixes in three overs, the wheels started turning and it never stopped.

Nabi smashed Sami for a six and a four in over number 16 and then punished Rajshahi's main death bowler, Abul Hasan, for 20 runs an over later. Abul was dispatched for three fours and a six. The six over long-on in the second ball of that over brought up Nabi's half-century off just 25 balls.

Nervous, the Rajshahi death bowlers kept bowling full-tosses towards the end and Nabi kept capitalising. Anamul joined in the fun by hitting Forhad Reza for a four towards the cow corner in the 19th over and brought up his half-century. While he was dismissed in the next ball, it did not matter, for Nabi was going to be there to see off the last over of the innings.

And he did that in style by plundering 16 runs, including two fours and a six to help them post their highest ever total in the BPL, 190 for five.

The Rajshahi Kings did not give up the chase. In fact, if anything, for most parts of the game they seemed right on top of it. Mominul Haque set the tone by driving Mahmudul Hasan for four consecutive fours in the second over. Junaid Siddique joined in and clobbered Mahmudul for two sixes in the fourth over to take the Kings to 39 for no loss after four.

Chittagong Vikings fast bowler Taskin Ahmed made an emphatic return by taking his first fifer in T20 cricket. Photo: Star

Mominul's ill-timed drive off Taskin Ahmed was caught at cover in the fifth but he was replaced by Sabbir Rahman and the runs continued to flow.

Both Junaid and Sabbir pounded on Saqlain Sajib and smacked him for sixes to take the total to 78 for one in nine overs. Junaid was dismissed in the 10th and that led to the aggressive Umar Akmal's arrival and the runs, once again, continued to flow.

However, once Umar and Sabbir were dismissed by the 15th over the pressure started to tell on the Kings. Sabbir had played brilliantly for a 30-ball 46 and he was the key.

Imran Khan however dismissed him with a beautiful slower delivery in the 15th over. Sabbir misread that and edged it to cover. With 61 required from 30 balls, Taskin and Imran upped their game and took regular wickets to restrict the Kings to 171 for nine. Taskin dismissed Mehedi Hasan and Milinda Siriwardana in the 18th and Forhad Reza in the 20th to complete his first ever five-wicket haul. He finished with five for 31 off four overs.