Rangpur burst Dhaka’s bubble

Rangpur reinforced their third position on the points table with a comfortable win by six wickets over Dhaka at Mirpur today.

Jahurul Islam was unbeaten on 35 from 26 balls, and struck four boundaries during his invaluable innings.

Soumya and Sammy got out in the twenties but the Riders were never in danger of losing their way during the chase.

For Dhaka Abul Hasan picked two while Mohammad Irfan and Mustafizur Rahman gabbed a wicket each.

Mohammad Irfan bowed the 16th over of the game, conceded only six runs but got the important wicket of Sammy.

Sammy scored 23 runs from 21 balls with four boundaries, and gave much needed impetus to Riders’ innings.

The useful 45-run stand between Jahurul Islam and Darren Sammy in 4.5 overs brought Rangpur back into the match, and brought down the required run-rate into more manageable proportions for the Riders.

Mustafizur Rahman got the big wicket of Shakib Al Hasan when the Riders skipper got a top-edge and was caught and bowled by the left-arm pacer.

The match definitely swung Dhaka’s way in the 12th over with the wicket of Shakib, as the Riders needed 62 from 48 balls with only seven batsmen left.

Lendl Simmons didn’t stay at the wicket for too long after Soumya left, and managed 18 runs from 22 balls before Abul Hasan sent him back in the ninth over.

Simmons tried to cut hard but only guided the ball straight into the hands of Mosaddek at point.

Soumya Sarkar finally lost his cool, wanted to hit his way out of frustration and perished playing an ugly shot.

Rangpur opener fell to Abul Hasan in the seventh over, wanted to clear mid-off but mistimed his lofted shot badly. Soumya looked out of sorts at the crease, managed 21 from 27 balls with two fours and a six before his dismissal.

Rangpur Riders openers were watchful to begin with, and went after the really loose balls with all their might.

After numerous play and misses, Soumya smashed some boundaries but looked shaky at the crease. Dhaka new-ball bowlers Mohammad Irfan and Sohail Khan kept both the Rangpur openers honest with immaculate length in their spells.

Earlier, Rangpur restricted Dhaka to a below-par total of 135 with disciplined bowling under the lights at Mirpur stadium.

Rangpur spinner Arafat Sunny took two while Darren Sammy and Shakib Al Hasan captured a wicket each. Except Arafat and Mohammad Nabi, none of the Rangpur bowlers conceded over seven runs per over.

For Dhaka their skipper Sangakkara was the highest scorer with 30. Nasir Hossain contributed with 29. The partnership between them gave some respectability to Dhaka’s meager total.

Mosaddek Hossain of Dhaka was run out in the 19th over after he scored 13 useful runs from 10 balls with two fours. He was the third Dhaka batter to be run-out today.

Ryan ten Doeschate tried to score quick but fell in the process when Arafat Sunny sent him back in 18 th over. The Dutch cricketer only managed 6 from 12 balls.

Nasir Hossain didn’t last long at the crease after his captain departed. He fell to Arafat Sunny in the 16th over when he failed to connect with his big shot.

Nasir had just began to open his shoulders, had smashed Arafat for a six and four before he was bowled for 30. Bangladesh allrounder faced 28 balls.

After being dropped by the bowler in the previous ball, Dhaka skipper Sanga took a risky run and was run-out to the dismay of Dhaka fans.

Sanga was stepping on the gas, but was stopped at 29 by a direct throw from Shakib. The Sri Lankan batter faced 23 balls and struck two sixes in his knock.

Kumar Sangakkara and Nasir Hossain repaired the early damage with a sensible 45-run stand for the third wicket.

Dhaka’s misery was compounded in the seventh over when Darren Sammy picked up his first wicket of the game.

It was the turn of Shykat Ali to perish, as he failed to connect with his big hit, similar to many Bangladeshi batters lacking power, and was caught safely by Perera at long-off. Shykat scored 18 from 13 with a four and a six.

Rangpur skipper Shakib gave his team the second breakthrough when his arm-ball trapped Dhaka’s Shamsur Rahman in front.

Shamsur managed only four runs during his brief stay at the crease.

After being kept quiet by Rangpur bowlers early, Dhaka tried to break the shackles, but lost their opener Shadman Islam to a run-out in the fourth over.

Shadman came forward and pushed the ball to square-leg, he took off but couldn’t beat Soumya Sarkar’s throw. The Dhaka opener scored 16 from 20 balls with three handsome boundaries.

Kumar Sangakkara, captain of Dhaka Dynamites won the toss decided to put up a good total on the board against Rangpur Riders led by Bangladesh’s ace alrounder Shakib Al Hasan.

Rangpur and Dhaka are sitting at third and fourth positions of the points table respectively, and they need to win as many games as possible to ensure qualification for the knock-out stage.

Rangpur lost their last match against Barisal Bulls on December 3 by six wickets. Their batsmen failed to put a challenging total as they manage only 104 runs.

Riders skipper Shakib would want his batters to perform today, and preferably peak at the right time.

Dhaka also tasted defeat in their last game, when Comilla came out in front by ten runs on December 2. Skipper Sanga wants the local talents to fire as well as the experienced foreign recruits in his team.

Rangpur Riders 

Abdullah Al Mamun, Abu Jayed, Al-Amin, Arafat Sunny, Jahurul Islam, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Mithun (Wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nabi, Muktar Ali, Murad Khan, NLTC Perera, DJG Sammy, Saqlain Sajib, SMSM Senanayake, Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), LMP Simmons, Soumya Sarkar and Wahab Riaz

Dhaka Dynamites 

Abul Hasan, Farhad Reza, Irfan Sukkur, Mosaddek Hossain, Mosharraf Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Nabil Samad, Nasir Hossain, Nasir Jamshed, KC Sangakkara (Captain, Wicketleeper), Shadman Islam, Shamsur Rahman, Shykat Ali, Sohail Khan, RN ten Doeschate, HDRL Thirimanne, MN Waller and Yasir Shah

Rangpur players celebrate the fall of wicket during BPL-2015. File Photo: STAR