Abahani sniff DPL title
Shakib again rises to
the occasion with
all-round show
Sports Reporter
Abahani Limited sniffed the title of the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) after their facile 60-run victory over Legends of Rupganj in its Super Leagues fourth round game which turned out to be a title deciding factor at BKSP-3 ground yesterday.
The victory took Abahani to the top of the point table with 20 points in 14 matches. Rupganj also had 20 points but they played 15 matches. Abahanis match against Prime Doleshwar was postponed earlier following the sudden illness of the umpires. A four-member committee was formed to decide the fate of the match but Abahani was keen to write the script of their own terms.
After the match against Doleshwar, Abahani had just bulldozed their opponents Mohammedan and Victoria showing an emphatic performance and Rupganj wasnt also spared either. They were crushed in face of Abahanis ruthless cricket which made them apparent despite the allegation of the favouristism of umpires made by the opponents ever since the league was started.
However youngster Mosaddek Hossain Saikat continued his rich vein of form in the league to secure Abahanis most crucial victory. Saikat smashed a whirlwind 55 ball-73 before scalping his List A career best five for 43, a performance that was catalyst behind Abahanis comfortable victory. Abahani racked up 290 for eight after which they bowled Rupganj out for 230 in 44.4 overs.
While Saikat showed his immense talent, senior cricketer Shakib Al Hasan inspired him, propping up with yet another excellent all-round performance. Shakib also played a fluent 57 ball-66 and picked up two for 50.
Being sent to bat first, Abahani made a sedate start even though the captain Tamim Iqbal wasnt his best form. Tamim scored 33 off 46 but shared 76 runs with Liton Das, the partnership which set the tune. Fresh from his century after 18 months in the last game, Liton Das contributed with 51 runs in the match.
But Rupganj hit back with flurry of wicket as Abahani seemed to march on unscathed. They made Abahani 112 for four from 76 for one, removing Liton, Nazmul Hossain Shanto (12) and Dinesh Karthik (13) cheaply.
Shakib and Saikat then struck back, counterattacking the Rupganj bowlers in a steely resolve. They took them in disdain and hit them all corner of the parks to add 130-run for the fifth wicket stand which not only rescued Abahani from the potential danger but also took them to a respectable stage.
Shakib sent the ball across the rope six times and hit two more sixes while Saikat clattered eight boundaries and two sixes in his match-defining knock.
Shakib gave the side a breakthrough in just second over, taking out Rupganj opener Jahurul Islam for 7. Mosaddek Hossain Saikat then followed him with the wicket of Junaed Siddique (2) while Taskin Ahmed removed Soumya Sarkar (9) to leave Rupganj in precarious 35 for three.
Mohammad Mithun and Nahidul Islam resisted the rot and seemed to take the side in right direction. Shakib however returned to his second spell with a bang to dismiss Nahidul on 36 after he shared a 59 runs partnership with Mithun.
As Shakib made yet another breakthrough, Saikat then tormented the Rupganj batsmen with his off-spin and took wickets at regular interval. He made Abahani favourite to win the game with the wicket of Mithun who made 55 and looked dangerous at one point.
Saikat then started taking wickets like cluster even though Asif Ahmed Ratul came up with resistance. Ratul hit five sixes and three fours in his 54 ball-70 but that knock only reduced the margin. He was the last batsman to be out when Taskin Ahmed uprooted his stump. Taskin returned figures of two for 31.
