Nabi, Tamim star in Ctg win
Champs Comilla look helpless
Sports Reporter
Chittagong Vikings made an emphatic start to the BPL-4, keeping aside the horror experience of last season as they put a clinical performance to secure a 29-run win over defending champions Comilla Victorians in the opening game of the cash-rich tournament yesterday.
Vikings captain Tamim Iqbal led the platform with a blistering 54-run knock after which Afghanistan recruit Mohammad Nabi (four for 24) dealt a blow to the Victorians batting line up to pull off the victory.
While Tamim gave a talismanic impetus, Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan recruit of Vikings paced the innings to help Vikings rack up 161 for three after being sent to bat first. Later Nabi and Company steered the side to the victory by restricting Victorians to 132 for eight.
Amid Pakistan off-spinner Imad Wasims tight bowling, Tamim helped the side get off to a quick start by finding the boundaries on regular occasion. Imads disciplined
bowling however reaped the reward for him as he took the scalp of Dwayne Smith who was out on 9.
Tamim took Mashrafe in disdain to accelerate the scoreboard in emphatic fashion and kept Vikings on course of a big total.
Tamim who struck six fours and two sixes on his 38 balls knock finally was trapped run-out after mixing with Anamul Haque Bijoy. That slowed down the scoring rate to some extent and Bijoy was due to make the amends. But he too was run out, leaving the onus on Shoaib Malik to take the Vikings in a position of dominance.
Malik got an apt support from Jahurul Islam Omee who was slow at initial stage but grew up with confidence after getting a boundary. Malik at the time plundered the bowlers at will, helping Vikings stay at safe zone always. He however was unbeaten on 42 off 29 after hitting two fours and as many sixes. Omee was not out 29 off 21, sending the ball across the rope thrice.
In a pitch that was getting slower increasingly, Victorians batsmen dug their own graveyards by playing wretched shot. It all started with the dismissal of Imrul Kayes who threw his wicket, trying to play an ordinary delivery away from the body.
Marlon Samuels played some eye-catching shots, before he too perished to a loose shot against Abdur Razzak. With the side reeling to 36 for two after the first six overs, Victorians still was in the race. But Vikings English pacer Tymal Mills terrorised the Victorians batsman with searing pace and bouncer which caused a mental breakdown indeed. He struck Liton Das twice with a delivery clocking over 150 km. Liton however looked jaded after getting struck as he gave away his wicket to Mohammad Nabi in the immediate next over. Nabi then made Victorians clear favourite by taking the prized scalp of Ashar Zaidi, the man of the tournament in the last edition, for 2.
With the pitch getting slower, Tymal Mills and Taskin executed the plan of slower intriguingly to strangle Victorians batsman and Nabi again reaped the reward with double strike, dismissing Al-Amin and Sohail Tanvir in consecutive delivery. However youngster Nazmul Hossain Shanto reduced the margin, playing an unbeaten knock of 54.
