Comilla want to keep up momentum

Mashrafe looks forward to 3rd BPL title in a row under his captaincy

Comilla Victorians will go with positive verve to continue the upward spiral which took them to the final of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) despite tasting a crushing six-wicket defeat to Dhaka Dynamites in the tournament opener.
While they have no star-studded side, the Victorians led by their inspirational captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza played a thorough professional cricket to stun the opponents and made them outright favourite as the tournament went on. It is believed once Mashrafe’s amazing half-century won the team against Chittagong Vikings from a tricky position, the team gained the momentum and continue it till date. They want to keep it up for one last time against Barisal Bulls, a team whom they defeated twice in the league phase, to clinch the title.
The title would give Mashrafe three titles in a row as captain after he successfully led Dhaka Gladiators to win the trophy.
“We have been playing as a unit. We have been professional and disciplined. We just need to keep it up for one last time,” said captain Mashrafe ahead of the final yesterday. “It’s a matter of joy to lead the team in clinching the trophy, considering it’s a big tournament in domestic competition. I feel personally well. I’ve got another chance to play the final. Hopefully I will be successful.”
“Star players always couldn’t win the match. Look at the IPL team Royal Bengaluru Challengers who have Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Ab De Villiers. Still they couldn’t win any title. So it’s all about team game.”
Mashrafe said they needed to sort out some things after their defeat to Dhaka. According to him, his side executed the plan well after finding out the mistakes.
 “We had the problem at the start of the tournament. We didn’t get any player for longer period except Zaidi and Kulasekara. So we needed to settle what we would do and how we could get a balanced team with the mix of local and foreign players.”
 “It is apparent that we could play what way we wanted. The final match is now do or die for both teams. We are hopeful and positive. If we could play what way we had performed in the previous matches then the better thing would be happened,” he added.
While Mashrafe gave the credit to his players for the positive intent, Victorians players unanimously believed the captain Mashrafe-factor was key in their overwhelming success.
The captain played through his hamstring injury and at one phase was unable to take the pressure in his injury-worn body. But the team management wanted him to stay in the field as just the captain. He responded and made the history.
 “I’ve tried my best. There were pressures on me. I had passed a tough year both in mentally and physically. I was sick. Considering all the things, it was very tough for me. But it’s not that I did it single-handedly. Team management and players helped me a lot. Credit goes to all,” he pointed out.
He however rated Barisal Bulls as tougher opponent despite the absence of Chris Gayle. According to him, Barisal’ team game took them to the final like Victorians.
 “The opponent is playing their deserving final. They are playing well throughout the tournament. Congratulation is to Riyad and his teammates. They are of course strong side. They are playing the final as the best team.
“The team lost few matches even though they had Gayle. They had won many matches when Gayle wasn’t around.
So they are not dependant on Gayle. Yes Gayle’s absence is always pleasing but without Gayle they are stronger outfit.”
While Abu Haider Rony hogged the headline, taking wickets regularly in Comilla Victorians’s cause, there are on silent performer who gave the side a balance what they were craving for. Victorians wanted a player like Zaidi as they had a void of quality all-rounder and they publicly disclosed it. However they weren’t even sure whether Zaidi could fulfill their expectation. But when he was given the chance, he was in no stopping mood. Zaidi scored 199 runs and took 16 wickets in the 10 matches he played for Victorians. The British-born Pakistani was instrumental in ticking the scoreboard for the last death overs and giving crucial breakthrough when it mattered.
“He has been doing amazing job. He exceeded our expectation. Hopefully he will keep it up,” Mashrafe said about Zaidi.
 “Zaidi filled the lack of an all-rounder what we were craving for. We didn’t expect that he will be our mainstay in batting, bowling or fielding. But he did it and enriched our team,” said coach Salahuddin.

Comilla want to keep up momentum

Mashrafe looks forward to 3rd BPL title in a row under his captaincy

Comilla Victorians will go with positive verve to continue the upward spiral which took them to the final of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) despite tasting a crushing six-wicket defeat to Dhaka Dynamites in the tournament opener. While they have no star-studded side, the Victorians led by their inspirational captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza played a thorough professional cricket to stun the opponents and made them outright favourite as the tournament went on. It is believed once Mashrafes amazing half-century won the team against Chittagong Vikings from a tricky position, the team gained the momentum and continue it till date. They want to keep it up for one last time against Barisal Bulls, a team whom they defeated twice in the league phase, to clinch the title. The title would give Mashrafe three titles in a row as captain after he successfully led Dhaka Gladiators to win the trophy. We have been playing as a unit. We have been professional and disciplined. We just need to keep it up for one last time, said captain Mashrafe ahead of the final yesterday. Its a matter of joy to lead the team in clinching the trophy, considering its a big tournament in domestic competition. I feel personally well. Ive got another chance to play the final. Hopefully I will be successful. Star players always couldnt win the match. Look at the IPL team Royal Bengaluru Challengers who have Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Ab De Villiers. Still they couldnt win any title. So its all about team game. Mashrafe said they needed to sort out some things after their defeat to Dhaka. According to him, his side executed the plan well after finding out the mistakes. We had the problem at the start of the tournament. We didnt get any player for longer period except Zaidi and Kulasekara. So we needed to settle what we would do and how we could get a balanced team with the mix of local and foreign players. It is apparent that we could play what way we wanted. The final match is now do or die for both teams. We are hopeful and positive. If we could play what way we had performed in the previous matches then the better thing would be happened, he added. While Mashrafe gave the credit to his players for the positive intent, Victorians players unanimously believed the captain Mashrafe-factor was key in their overwhelming success. The captain played through his hamstring injury and at one phase was unable to take the pressure in his injury-worn body. But the team management wanted him to stay in the field as just the captain. He responded and made the history. Ive tried my best. There were pressures on me. I had passed a tough year both in mentally and physically. I was sick. Considering all the things, it was very tough for me. But its not that I did it single-handedly. Team management and players helped me a lot. Credit goes to all, he pointed out. He however rated Barisal Bulls as tougher opponent despite the absence of Chris Gayle. According to him, Barisal team game took them to the final like Victorians. The opponent is playing their deserving final. They are playing well throughout the tournament. Congratulation is to Riyad and his teammates. They are of course strong side. They are playing the final as the best team. The team lost few matches even though they had Gayle. They had won many matches when Gayle wasnt around. So they are not dependant on Gayle. Yes Gayles absence is always pleasing but without Gayle they are stronger outfit. While Abu Haider Rony hogged the headline, taking wickets regularly in Comilla Victorianss cause, there are on silent performer who gave the side a balance what they were craving for. Victorians wanted a player like Zaidi as they had a void of quality all-rounder and they publicly disclosed it. However they werent even sure whether Zaidi could fulfill their expectation. But when he was given the chance, he was in no stopping mood. Zaidi scored 199 runs and took 16 wickets in the 10 matches he played for Victorians. The British-born Pakistani was instrumental in ticking the scoreboard for the last death overs and giving crucial breakthrough when it mattered. He has been doing amazing job. He exceeded our expectation. Hopefully he will keep it up, Mashrafe said about Zaidi. Zaidi filled the lack of an all-rounder what we were craving for. We didnt expect that he will be our mainstay in batting, bowling or fielding. But he did it and enriched our team, said coach Salahuddin.