Batsmen find form as Dhaka win two on the trot

Beximco Dhaka won their second consecutive match in the ongoing Bangabandhu T20 Cup as they beat Minister Group Rajshahi by 25 runs in the 12th match of the tournament at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Friday.

Chasing down a target of 176, Rajshahi's top-order collapsed and they were reduced to 15 for three in the fifth over. Najmul Hossain Shanto, Anisul Islam Emon and Mohammad Ashraful registered single figure scores. It was up to Rony Talukdar and Fazle Mahmud to do the rebuilding process. They put on 67 for the fourth wicket before Talukdar was dismissed for 40 off 24 in the 12th over. The required rate was manageable but they kept losing wickets in regular intervals.

Rajshahi needed 70 off the last five and required a special effort from the batsmen. Fazle Mahmud scored 58 off 40 but it was not enouh as Rajshahi fell short by 25 runs. 

Muktar Ali picked up four wickets giving away 37 runs. Left arm pacer Shafiqul Islam also got three. Rubel Hossain and Robiul Islam Robi chipped in with two and one respectively. 

Off-spinner Nayeem Hasan was surprisingly sent to open the innings with Naim Sheikh. But the unorthodox move did not pay dividends as Nayeem got out in the very first over. Mushfiqur Rahim, the Dhaka skipper, came out to bat at number three. But they did not have a very productive powerplay because Naim Sheikh failed to get going. He eventually fell in the 8th over, scoring only 9 off 19. Tanzid Hasan Tamim did not last long too, leaving his team in a spot of bother at 48 for three in the 9th over. 

Mushfiqur Rahim played well for his 37 off 29 balls, but got out halfway through the innings with the score being 64 for four in the 11th over. 

Yasir Ali carried his form from the previous match and took the attack to the bowlers. He along with Akbar Ali not only rebuilt the innings but also stepped on the gas. The two right handers put on a 100-run stand off just 54 deliveries. Yasir played a magnificent knock before his departure in the 20th over. En route to his 39-ball-67, he struck 9 fours and a six. Akbar's contribution was valuable too. The under-19 World Cup winning skipper played a belligerent knock of 45 off 23 and remained unbeaten. This partnership helped Dhaka big time post a substantial total of 175 for five. Dhaka scored 62 off the last five overs.

The spinners, Mahedi Hasan and Arafat Sunny, shared two wickets among themselves and were very economical while the pacers were at the receiving end of Yasir and Akbar's onslaught. 

Brief scores: Beximco Dhaka 175/5 (Yasir Ali 67, Akbar Ali 45, Mushfiqur Rahim 37, Mukidul Islam Mugdho 2/38, Mahedi Hasan 1/23, Arafat Sunny 1/26)
Minister Group Rajshahi 150 (Fazle Mahmud 58, Rony Talukdar 40, Farhad Reza 14, Muktar Ali 4/37, Shafiqul Islam 3/31, Rubel Hossain 2/15)