The
late arrivals for Dhaka, Afridi and Ajmal, proved their worth as they
helped them lift the first ever BPL cup at jam-packed Mirpur stadium.
After they restricted Barisal Burners to a low score, Imran Nazir
carried them to an easy win.
Mashrafe
Mortaza opted to field first after winning the toss, keeping in mind
the dew factor and learning from the semi final last evening when Khulna
almost chased down their huge total. Captain Brad Hodge and little
dynamite Ahmed Shehzad started the proceedings for Barisal in aggressive
fashion as usual.
They had plundered 43 runs in 4.2 overs when Shahid Afridi lured Shehzad into a miscued loft to affect the killer blow. Shehzad, who had scored a dazzling ton in the semi final, was looking threatening once again but his wicket made Hodge change his batting mode. He resorted to shepherd the innings hoping that some one would play aggressively at the other end.
Then it was the turn of Saeed Ajmal, who had joined his franchise just before the semi final like Afridi, to inflict another big blow. Phil Mustard was clueless as he was trapped plumb in front. Afridi came back to make it 49 for 3 as Mithun Ali holed out to Imran Nazir. Hopes of a huge total on a belter had faded as Barisal resorted to stabilize the innings. The spin trio of Afridi, Ajmal and Elias Sunny made their job even harder.
Except for Azhar Mahmood who went for many, Dhaka bowlers did not leak runs as Hodge kept his team’s hopes alive with selective hitting. He remained not out on a brilliant 70 off 51 balls with 4 fours and as many sixes. Barisal could only muster 140 for 7 as the lost too many wickets too early. Afridi was the chief destroyer with 3 for 23, while economical Rana Naved too 2 wickets.
Imran Nazir and Nazimuddin started for Dhaka as Burners looked for early wickets. Nazimuddin could have been out twice in two balls off Kabir Ali’s bowling but Mithun Ali spilt the chances at square leg. Despite a charmed life he could not last long as Suhrawadi Shuvo accounted for him. Imran, meanwhile, continued to hurt Burners with eye-catching hitting with fours and sixes galore.
Imran Nazir, Lifting his bat to the crowd.
He
and Anamul Haque shared a swashbuckling stand of 110 runs in just under
12 overs to shut the hopes of Burners. Imran hit all around the park
lighting up the Dhaka sky with his brilliant power hitting. He got out
just before the winning runs for a magnificent 75 off 43 balls with 6
fours and as many sixes. Anamul too played brilliantly as he hit the
winning four in the 16th over, remaining unbeaten on 49. In the end Dhaka were the worthy winners.
The tournament although marred by fixing rumours and rule disputes, was a huge success for Bangladesh as numerous stars from around the world participated and the locals got valuable exposure too.
Summarised Scores:
Dhaka Gladiators 144/2 (Imran Nazir 75, Anamul Haque 49*; Alauddin Babu 1/9) beat Barisal Burners 140/7 (Hodge 70, Shehzad 28; Afridi 3/23) by 8 wickets
Man of the Match: Imran Nazir
Credit: thenewstribe.com (Image)
Bangladesh Premier League, Final, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, 29 February 2012 – D/N
They had plundered 43 runs in 4.2 overs when Shahid Afridi lured Shehzad into a miscued loft to affect the killer blow. Shehzad, who had scored a dazzling ton in the semi final, was looking threatening once again but his wicket made Hodge change his batting mode. He resorted to shepherd the innings hoping that some one would play aggressively at the other end.
Then it was the turn of Saeed Ajmal, who had joined his franchise just before the semi final like Afridi, to inflict another big blow. Phil Mustard was clueless as he was trapped plumb in front. Afridi came back to make it 49 for 3 as Mithun Ali holed out to Imran Nazir. Hopes of a huge total on a belter had faded as Barisal resorted to stabilize the innings. The spin trio of Afridi, Ajmal and Elias Sunny made their job even harder.
Except for Azhar Mahmood who went for many, Dhaka bowlers did not leak runs as Hodge kept his team’s hopes alive with selective hitting. He remained not out on a brilliant 70 off 51 balls with 4 fours and as many sixes. Barisal could only muster 140 for 7 as the lost too many wickets too early. Afridi was the chief destroyer with 3 for 23, while economical Rana Naved too 2 wickets.
Imran Nazir and Nazimuddin started for Dhaka as Burners looked for early wickets. Nazimuddin could have been out twice in two balls off Kabir Ali’s bowling but Mithun Ali spilt the chances at square leg. Despite a charmed life he could not last long as Suhrawadi Shuvo accounted for him. Imran, meanwhile, continued to hurt Burners with eye-catching hitting with fours and sixes galore.
Imran Nazir, Lifting his bat to the crowd.The tournament although marred by fixing rumours and rule disputes, was a huge success for Bangladesh as numerous stars from around the world participated and the locals got valuable exposure too.
Summarised Scores:
Dhaka Gladiators 144/2 (Imran Nazir 75, Anamul Haque 49*; Alauddin Babu 1/9) beat Barisal Burners 140/7 (Hodge 70, Shehzad 28; Afridi 3/23) by 8 wickets
Man of the Match: Imran Nazir
Credit: thenewstribe.com (Image)
Published in SportPulse.net on 29/2/12
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