Chittgaong Brothers Union clinched the PCL T20 title- Port City Cricket League (PCL)- News- 2009-16

Chittgaong Brothers Union clinched the PCL T20 title

Chittgaong Brothers Union clinched the much-talked about Habib Group PCL T20 Cricket title beating Dhaka Sports Club by six wickets in a keenly- contested day-night final at the MA Aziz Stadium here today (Sunday).

Mayor of Chittagong ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury witnessed the final and distributed the champions trophy.

Chittagong Divisional Commissioner MAM Siddique, Deputy Commissioner Fariduddin Ahmed and PCL Chairman AZM Nasiruddin were present.

Satellite TV Channel ATN Bangla telecasted the final match live from MA Aziz Stadium, the first test venue in the port city.

Batting first after winning the toss Dhaka Sports Club scored 146 for 9 in stipulated 20 overs.

Pakistani Rashed Hanif made the team’s highest 56 runs off 48 balls hitting seven fours while Pakistani opener Wasim Nayeem scored 34 off 18 balls featuring five fours and two sixes.

Sri Lankan Jehan Mubarak, national pacer Dollar Mahmud and national spinner Abdur Razzak took two wickets each conceding 28, 28 and 32 runs respectively.

In reply, Chittgaong Brothers Union reached their target making 147 for the loss four wickets in 18.1 overs.

Sri Lankan Cricketer Kapugedara, who scored 61 runs off 32 balls hitting six fours and three sixes, was adjudged man of the match while captain Nafees Iqbal hammered 53 off 43 deliveries featuring five boundaries.

Pakistani all rounder Rashed Hanif, who scored 56 runs, also displayed his brilliance in bowling, grabbing three wickets for 15 runs.

Pakistani cricketer of Dhaka Sports Club Wasim Nayeem was adjudged the man of the series and the highest scorer of the meet.

Mohammad Younus of Brothers Union named as the highest wicket taker while Mohammad Rabbi of Brothers awarded for the best wicket keeper and the best fielder.

Earlier, star-studded Chittagong Brothers Club managed a final berth beating Dada Warriors by four wickets while Dhaka Sports Club reached the final shocking Chittagong Abahani Limited by three wickets in the semifinals on Saturday.

Source: UNB, Chittagong


Noakhali Top Sports defeated Chittagong Mohammdean Sporting Club by 33-runs as the much-anticipated Port City Cricket League (PCL) Twenty20 tournament kicked off today at MA Aziz Stadium of Chittagong.


Winning the toss in the maiden match, Noakhali Top Sports elected to bat first and made a formidable total of 158 for four from the stipulated 20 overs.


Nazmus Sadat of Top Sports scored unbeaten 91 from just 57 balls.


In reply, the host only able to make 125 losing all the wickets but keeping 12 balls in hand.

**************
SCORES IN BRIEF
**************

TOP SPORTS: 158 for 4 in 20 overs (Sadat 91 not out, Riyad 30, Sanwar 19; Sanjamul 2-26, Nayyar 2-32)
MOHAMMEDAN: 125 all out in 18.3 overs (Qaiser 53, Mithun 15, Tarek 14, Al Mamun 10; Sunny 5-17, Lokuarachchi 2-15, Weeraratna 2-23)
Result: Top Sports won by 33 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Nazmus Sadat.



Earlier, State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Ahad Ali Sarkar officially inaugurated the tournament followed by a grand cultural ceremony.


The galleries, special enclosures and pavilion of the newly renovated stadium were decorated colourfully to welcome the exciting event. Posters and banners were also fixed in different nook and cranny of the port city.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
May 5, 2009 at 11:07pm · Report

::: PCL ::: PORT CITY LEAGUE ~~ GEAR UP BANGLADESHI CRICKET TO FUTURE GLORY PCL T20 Chittagong 2009--Sadat turns up heat

Top Sports of Noakhali pushed Chittagong Mohammedan Sporting Club to the backseat in the opening match of the country's first-ever Twenty20 tournament as the Port-city Cricket League (PCL) 2009 got off to a boisterous start at the MA Aziz Stadium yesterday.

Top Sports, batting first, raced to 158 for the loss of four wickets in the allotted 20 overs and then bowled their more colourful opponents out for 125 in 18.3 overs for an easy 33-run victory.

The defeat meant Mohammedan would now need to come back strongly against Chittagong Brothers Union tomorrow and Abahani on May 7 in their last two league matches to remain in the title race.

None of the around 10,000-strong crowd however would argue with the fact that Top Sports were by far the better team, thanks to superb batting display by opener Nazmus Sadat and three fine bowling spells by Elias Sunny and Sri Lankan recruits S Lokuarachchi and K Weeraratna.

The big Top Sports total was built around Sadat's, who boasts a price tag of 60,000 taka, 91 not out off 57 balls and Mahmudullah Riyad's run-a-ball 30 on a perfect batting wicket.

In reply, the local Mohammedans never looked easy except the first over of which came 14 runs and were eventually bundled out for 125 with nine balls to spare. Their Pakistani player Qaiser Abbas played his part with a fine knock of 53 from 34 balls with six fours and two sixes, but he received little support from the other end.

Sadat brilliantly exploited the meek attack of MSC comprised of skipper Tarek Aziz, Pakistani brothers Qaiser and Nayyar Abbas, Hafirzur Rahman Hira, Sanyamul Islam and Sajidul Islam.

Along with experienced captain Sanwar Hossain (19 runs off 16 balls), Sadat put up 42 runs for the first wicket in only four overs and at the halfway Top Sports were 75 for 3. They slowed down in the next five overs (26 runs) but regained composure very well in the last five that saw 57 runs.

Sadat in his 78-minute stay hit four sixes and nine fours to give his team much needed win.

MSC were in discomfort all through the match especially in the second-half of their innings which was played under lights as wickets fell at regular intervals. Opener Mohammad Mithun started brightly in his cameo 9-ball 15 with two boundaries and one six. Barring Qaiser, only Tarek showed some guts with a 20-ball 14 not out. The rest of the story was a sorry sight as Mohammedan kept losing wickets.

SCORES IN BRIEF
TOP SPORTS: 158 for 4 in 20 overs (Sadat 91 not out, Riyad 30, Sanwar 19; Sanjamul 2-26, Nayyar 2-32)
MOHAMMEDAN: 125 all out in 18.3 overs (Qaiser 53, Mithun 15, Tarek 14, Al Mamun 10; Sunny 5-17, Lokuarachchi 2-15, Weeraratna 2-23)
Result: Top Sports won by 33 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Nazmus Sadat.
May 5, 2009 at 11:08pm · Report

::: PCL ::: PORT CITY LEAGUE ~~ GEAR UP BANGLADESHI CRICKET TO FUTURE GLORY **** Rain plays spoil sport ::: Ctg Abahani 'awarded a tie', Dhaka Sports win::****

Rain played foul on the second day of the Habib Group PCL Twenty20 tournament as Dhaka Sports Club won the curtailed-over first game against Dada Warriors and the second match between Chittagong Abahani and Chittagong Brothers Union ended in a tie at the MA Aziz Stadium yesterday.

Heavy overnight shower reduced the first game to a 10-overs-a-side affair and Rajin Saleh-led Dhaka Sports Club secured full points with a seven-wicket victory, but rain spoiled the second one what could have been an exciting game.

Local hero Tamim Iqbal, the most expensive player of the tournament, was on fire before rain stopped Abahani's charge. The dashing left-hander remained not out on a 36-ball 41 that contained four boundaries and a six as Abahani scored 77 for 2 in reply to Brothers' 150-7 in 20 overs.

The match's fate was then decided by Duckworth-Lewis method which saw the battle tied.

Chasing a challenging target, Abahani looked well on course when Tamim and Hannan Sarker laid the foundation by adding 64 runs for the second wicket after early the departure of Rabiul Islam.

The drama began after Abahani reached 69 for 2 in 10 overs. Sri Lankan Chamara Silva had just joined Tamim a ball earlier. It started to drizzle before the start of 11th over. Brothers Union at that stage (after 10 overs) were 73 for 2, ahead of Abahani.

Tamim was seen a bit tense and urged the umpire to continue the match. Amid light drizzle, Mohammad Shahajada bowled the 11th over and Tamim and Silva took eight runs from it with a 'priced' boundary from the local boy that eventually saved Abahani from a sure defeat.

Immediately after the over, heavy rain set in while strong wind ripped the dug-outs, banners, bill boards and tore apart the large canopy over the stands. What added to that was the power cut at the time that ensured no further play.

With Abahani standing on 77 for 2 in 11 overs and Brothers Union on 78 for 2 at the corresponding period, everyone thought that Brothers will have the last laugh as per D/L method.

But match referee Zahid Razzak Masum pronounced that as per D/L method the score of both teams actually stood at 77 runs meaning the match was a tie.

“Abahani could be the winner if they were 78 at the time of stoppage and similarly they would have been the loser if they were just one run short (76 for 2) then," explained Masum.

But before that Tamim entertained the crowds as the left-hander smashed two consecutive boundaries off Mohammad Younus in the second over and then in the eighth over hit one boundary followed by a huge six off national spinner Abdur Razzak.

Brothers innings built on four fine knocks by opener Mehrab Hossain (33), Sri Lankan batsmen Jeehan Mobarak (20) and Chamara Kapugedara (40 not out) and Tushar Imran (33).

Earlier in the first game, it was a battle between two Pakistanis.

Saeed Anwar Jr hit 35-ball 45 with four boundaries and a six to help Dada Warriors score 65 for 5 in 10 overs but Waseem Nayeem outshined his compatriot as his unbeaten 27-bal 43 guided Dhaka Sports Club to reach 66 for three in 7.2 overs.

****************

SCORES IN BRIEF

****************

DADA SPORTS: 65-5 in 10 overs (Saeed Anwar Jr 45, Zunaed 1, Imran 11, Kasif 5, Faisal 0 not out, Sazzad 0, extras 3; Bashar 1-13, Waseem 1-19, Shahadat 2-4).
DHAKA SPORTS CLUB: 66-3 in 7.2 overs (Waseem 43 not out, Rashedur 0, Bashar 1, Hanif 1, Anisur 11 not out, extras 10; Saeed Anwar 1-10, Kasif 1-16, Kamrul 1-10).
RESULT: Dhaka Sports won by seven wickets.
Man-of-the-Match: Waseem Nayeem (Dhaka Sports Club).

BROTHERS: 150-7 in 20 overs (Mehrab 33, Mubarak 20, Tushar 33, Kapugedera 40 not out, extras 8; Rasel 2-21).
ABAHANI: 77-2 in 11 overs (Tamim 41 not out, Hannan 23, extras 6; Mubarak 1-21, Shahajada 1-6).
RESULT: Match Tied.
Man-of-the-Match: Tamim Iqbal (Abahani).

----------------------------------------------------------------------
May 5, 2009 at 11:08pm · Report

::: PCL ::: PORT CITY LEAGUE ~~ GEAR UP BANGLADESHI CRICKET TO FUTURE GLORY *** Mohammedan bow out,BIG WIN FOR Ispahani & Brothers ***


Shamsur Rahman celebrated his inclusion in the 15-member Bangladesh squad for the T20 World Cup in style, hitting a superb half-century for Ispahani Sports Club against

Pirates of Chittagong in a Habib Group-PCL Twenty20 tournament match at the MA Aziz Stadium here yesterday.

Shamsur hammered 71 off 49 balls in an impressive Ispahani total of 175 runs, which was also the highest innings total so far in the glamorous T20 championship involving eight teams. Ishpahani then bowled the Pirates out for 125 to register a convincing 50-run win.

The 20-year-old cricketer from Comilla was plundering the Pirates when chief selector Rafiqul Alam was announcing his name at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium for the England showpiece event in June.

The selectors also picked Mohammad Mithun in the England-bound squad. The young batsman featured in the second match of the PCL for Chittagong Mohammedan against Brothers Union. But his way of celebration can be best described as bizarre in a match that Brothers not only won by 46 runs but also confirmed a high-hoping Mohammedans exit from the first round with two defeats in as many games.

Mithun scored only four but more importantly got out in a fashion that can be considered as a 'first' in the brief history of Twenty20 cricket.

Mitun was first out caught off a 'no-ball' from paceman Dollar Mahmud. He then hit the next ball, a free hit, straight into the hands of a fielder. And as if that was not enough he struck the next legitimate delivery from Dollar straight to Nafees Iqbal to finally succumb.

However, Ispahani started on a solid footing after the day's first match started an hour behind schedule due to wet outfield and displaced décor of galleries caused by heavy thunderstorms and overnight rain.

Shamsur and Fazle Rabbi gave Ispahani a perfect start when they raced to 53 in just 5.4 overs before PCL's second most valuable cricketer Sohrawardi Shuvo had Rabbi caught and bowled for 25.

But Rabbi's departure brought the best of Ispahani as Shamsur and Sri Lankan Jeevan Mendis produced 114 runs for the second wicket, the best so far in the tournament. Shamsur's innings was particularly worth mentioning on a day that brought double delight for him. His polished knock featured two huge sixes and eight exciting boundaries.

Mendis played an equally impressive innings of 65 off only 48 balls. He smashed three sixes and four fours.

The Pirates innings never took off. Their much-vaunted batting line up perished in thin air with the first four wickets falling for 46 in seven over. They also lost their last four wickets in more doleful fashion. Only Shuvo stood in the ruins with an entertaining 29 off 24 balls.

In the day's second match, Brothers defeated Mohammedan in a low-scoring match thanks to a miserly bowling performance from left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who conceded only three runs in as many overs and took one wicket.

Brother, who got one point in a rain-hit tied match against Abahani on Sunday, posted a not-so-impressive 136-9 in their share of 20 overs with Tushar Imran hitting highest 29.

Sri Lankan Jehan Mubarak contributed 24 runs and opener Mehrab Hossain made 20.

Chasing an easy target, Mohammedan, who lost the opening match against Top Sports, made a mess of it once their opener Asharful Islam was out in the very first ball of the innings. Rasel Al Mamun scored 26 with four boundaries and the lone six of the match. But wickets never stopped falling like rain and they were eventually bundled out for 90 with two overs in hand.

Dollar Mahmud was adjudged man-of-the-match for taking three vital wickets conceding 26 runs.

SCORES IN BRIEF
ISPAHANI SC: 175 for 5 in 20 overs (Shamsur 71, Rabbi 25, Jeevan Mendis 65; Waqqas 2-32, Shuvo 3-23.
PIRATES OF CHITTAGONG: 125 all out in 19.4 overs (Salahuddin 17, Naeem Islam 15, Waqqas 19, Shuvo 29; Monir Hossain 3-18, Monir Dar 2-11).
Result: Ispahani won by 50 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Shamsur Rahman (Ispahani)

BROTHERS UNION: 136 for 9 in 20 overs (Mehrab 20, Jehan Mubarak 24, Kapugedara 10, Tushar Imran 29, Rejaul Karim 14, Abdur Razzak 11, Tarek Aziz 3-29, Rasel Al Mamun 2/13, Nayyer Abbas 2/26).
MOHAMMEDAN SC: 90 all out in 18 overs (Rasel 26, Nayyer Abbas 16, Dollar Mahmud 3-26, Yunus 2-16, Shahjada 2-18).
Result: Brothers won by 46 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Dollar Mahmud (Brothers)
May 5, 2009 at 11:09pm · Report

::: PCL ::: PORT CITY LEAGUE ~~ GEAR UP BANGLADESHI CRICKET TO FUTURE GLORY Dada edge a thriller,,,, ~~~~~~~ Tamim fires Abahani
.....................................................................
*************************************************

Local hero Tamim Iqbal came up with another aggressive batting display as Abahani posted a five-wicket victory over Top Sports Club of Noakhali in the day's first match of the Habib Group PCL Twenty20 cricket tournament at the MA Aziz Stadium yesterday.

The dashing left-hander and most expensive player in the competition smote six boundaries during his 37-ball 44 to script his side's first win after they had tied their first game against Brothers Union.

It was however the second match which had all the excitement as Dada Warriors managed a four-run success against Ispahani Sports Club despite young prospect Shamsur Rahman's yet another sparkling innings.

Chasing a moderate target of 128 runs, Ispahani looked well set to win their second successive game after Shamsur Rahman (40) added 59 runs in the opening stand along with Fazle Rabbi (20) in 7.5 overs.

But the last over saw drama with Ispahani needing 10 runs with four wickets in hand. Ispahani however failed to withstand the pressure despite the fact that there was national wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim who remained not out on 33 off 26 balls but still his team was restricted to 123-7.

Mushfiqur managed two runs in the first delivery from Pakistani left-arm spinner Saeed Anwar and three more runs were added in the next three balls. Ispahani were left to score five off the last ball after Sajjadul Haque got run out in the fifth ball but Mushfiqur failed to score any runs from the last delivery.

Earlier Dada Warriors rode on Saeed Anwar's 25-ball 34 and Arafat Sunny's unbeaten 16-ball 25 to put up 127-9 in 20 overs.

Back to the first game, national middle order batsman Rokibul Hasan shone with a well-composed 48-ball 52 to see Top Sports Club score 144-6 in their share of 20 overs but Tamim, the most expensive player in the tournament, and his opening partner Robiul Islam made it an easy target for Abahani.

The pair added 77 runs as Abahani coasted to 146 for five with four balls to spare.

Winning the toss, Top Sports elected to bat first and there were two little cameos from Sri Lankan Lokuarachchari (21-ball 26) and Mahmudullah Riyad (31 runs in 23 balls) in the middle besides Rokibul's half-century.

The total however appeared neither safe nor defendable in the face of a prudent yet aggressive batting display by the two Abahani openers Tamim and Rabiul Islam. Abahani were still short of 68 runs from the target when Tamim returned to the pavilion but Sri Lankan Chamara Silva played a vital knock of 24 off 18 balls that saw three boundaries.

Despite the much-needed win Abahani with 4 points from two matches stand in such an uncertain position that is not enough to ensure a semifinal berth.

Abahani will be looking forward keenly to the result of another vital group A match today between Top Sports and Brothers Union, which can turn the fate of three teams either way.

If Top Sports win today, they will book the semifinal berth as the first time with 6 points from two wins. And if Top Sports concede defeat today, it will be Brothers to have the first honour to go into semi final, ending the group race with 7 points from three matches.

Abahani is sure to pray for a Brother's victory today. And if things happen as per their wish, both the teams will ensure passage to semifinal from the group.

The option for Abahani, in case Top Sports win against Brothers today, will be to wait for tomorrow's crunch match against arch-rivals Mohammedan.

While that match will be a battle of prestige only for the black-and-whites, Abahani would stand in a must-win situation to proceed further.

SCORES IN BRIEF

TOP SPORTS: 144-6 in 20 overs (Sadat 2, Sanwar 4, Rokibul 52, Lokuaracgchchi 26, Riyad 31, Nazmul 19 not out, Weeraratne 5, extras 5; Rasel 2-17, Enamul 2-32, Talha 1-26).

ABAHANI: 146-5 in 19.2 overs (Tamim 44, Rabiul 42, Silva 24, Karuna 18, extras 8; Weeraratne 1-32, Lokuarachchi 2-24, Sunny 1-26, Sadat 1-17).

Result: Abahani won by five wickets.

Man-of-the-match: Tamim Iqbal (Abahani)

DADA WARRIORS: 127-9 in 20 overs (Saeed 34, Arafat 25, Faisal 14, Kasif 13, extras 4; Mendis 5-33, Ridwan 2-14).

ISPAHANI: 123-7 in 20 overs (Shamsur 40, Mushfiqur 33 not out, Rabbi 20, extras 8; Kamrul 2-9, Ali 2-22).

Result: Dada Warriors won by four runs.

Man-of-the-Match: Jeevan Mendis (Ispahani).
May 5, 2009 at 11:09pm · Report

::: PCL ::: PORT CITY LEAGUE ~~ GEAR UP BANGLADESHI CRICKET TO FUTURE GLORY Younus takes first hattrick,, Brothers first into semis

.....................................................................
*************************************************


Mehrab Hossain laid the foundation but Mohammad Younus took the honours with a hattrick as Brothers Union confirmed themselves as the first to the semifinals of the Habib Group PCL Twenty20 tournament at the MA Aziz Stadium yesterday.

After Mehrab's 59 made sure Brothers reached 148-8, the well-built left-arm spinner from Cox's Bazar, Younus, finished the game in style for Brothers against Top Sports of Noakhali to secure a comfortable 60-run victory.

Younus removed Mahmudullah Riyad, Aslam Khan and Alamgir Hossain in the 16th over to close the Top Sports innings at 88 runs only and in the process become the first man to take a hattrick in this version of the game in Bangladesh.

“It was fantastic and the most pleasing moment for me. My captain (Nafis Iqbal) advised me before the start of the over to bowl my best and I did just that,” the excited Younus said after the hattrick.

Riyad, who offered some fight with 37 in his side's otherwise poor showing, was the first victim when the right-hander went down the wicket but missed and got stumped by wicketkeeper Sadid Hossain. Aslam Khan played the ball on to the stumps off the next ball and then Alamgir was trapped leg before.

The Brothers win also confirmed Abahani's berth in the last four which will take place on Saturday as Top Sports joined Mohammedan to exit the competition.

Brothers rode on left-handed opener Mehrab's 52-ball 59 that contained six fours to put up a fighting total on board while local boy Nafis contributed a 28-ball 36.

In the second match, it was Pakistani Wasim Nayeem who dominated the proceeding with a splendid all-round performance as Dhaka Sports handed a six-wicket defeat to Pirates of Chittagong to brighten their chance of reaching the semifinals.

After a three-wicket haul, Wasim put the bowlers to the sword during his 43-ball 79 that featured six boundaries and as many sixes as Dhaka Sports raced to 161-4 in reply to Pirates' 156-4. Anisur Rahman contributed 29 off 23 balls with three fours.

With the outcome, Dhaka Sports now have six points from two matches while Pirates lost both the matches they have played so far.

Earlier Waqas Ahmed entertained the sparse crowd with a bizarre knock which saw 43 runs came from 14 balls with seven fours and two sixes after Pirates of Chittagong decided to bat first.

National all-rounder Nayeem Islam however was the top-scorer with a 47-ball 57 that saw five fours.

SCORES IN BRIEF
BROTHERS UNION: 148-8 in 20 overs (Mehrab 59, Nafis 36, Mubarak 6, Dollar 6, Kapugedara 18, Tushar 0, Rezaul 11, Razzak 10, extras 2; Weeraratne 2-15, Elias 1-12, Sanwar 3-37, Lokuarachchi 2-29)
TOP SPORTS: 88 all out in 15.5 overs (Sadat 1, Sanwar 5, Weeraratne 26, Lokuarachchi 7, Riyad 37, Elias 6, extras 4; Mubarak 2-7, Dollar 2-18, Rezaul 1-12, Razzak 1-13, Younus 3-17)
Result: Brothers won by 60 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Mehrab Hossain (Brothers)

PIRATES OF CHITTAGONG: 156-4 in 20 overs (Nayeem 57 not out, Waqas 43, Noman 20, Extra 5: Wasim 3-34, Shahadat Hossain 1-47).
DHAKA SPORTS: 161-4 in 18.4 overs (Wasim 79, Anisur 29, Rajin 16, Hanif 15 not out, Extras 6; Nomanullah 2-25, Waqas 1-32, Nayeem 1-18).
Result: Dhaka Sports Club won by six wickets.
Man-of-the-match: Wasim Nayeem (Dhaka Sports).
May 6, 2009 at 11:15pm · Report

::: PCL ::: PORT CITY LEAGUE ~~ GEAR UP BANGLADESHI CRICKET TO FUTURE GLORY Dhaka Sports in semis & Abahani wins the derby..~~~ IN PCL T20 Chittagong 2009

***********************

Dhaka Sports in semis
***********************


A clinical Dhaka Sports Club raced to the semifinal of the Habib Group PCL Twenty20 tournament beating Ispahani Sports Club by seven runs at the MA Aziz Stadium here yesterday.

Batting first, Dhaka Sports scored 137 for 8 in 20 overs and in reply, Ispahani fell short thanks to Shahadat Hossain's match-winning two-wicket haul. The paceman took both the wickets in the 17th over of the innings, as Ispahani were restricted to 130 for 8 in 20 overs.

Dhaka Sports also had their Pakistani recruit Wasim Nayeem to thank after the experienced pro turned in an all-round show.

Nayeem first struck 42 off 43 balls that featured six boundaries and then picked up two wickets for 31 runs.

His opening partner and captain Rajin Saleh was run out via a throw from Mahbubul Alam with the score on 22 as the two tried to force the pace.

Khaled Mashud also fell soon after, adding just 16 for the second wicket when Fazle Rabbi took a brilliant catch to get rid of the former national captain. Rabbi remained off the field for ten minutes to take medication for sustaining injury while taking the catch.

Wasim finally was dismissed in the 13th over to make his total 156 runs in three matches, the highest in the tournament.

Ziaur Rahman hit the second-highest score of 36 runs off 21 balls with four huge sixes that gave the final push to Dhaka Sports' innings.

Chasing the moderate target, Ispahani opener Shamsur Rahman and Fazle Rabbi added 44 runs in only 5.5 overs when the latter fell to Nayeem.

Sri Lankan recruit Jeevan Mendis who was Ispahani's hero against the Dada Warriors, scored 35 from 33 balls with five boundaries.

Sahagir Hossain and Monir Hossain scored 15 runs and 10 runs respectively but the others could not reach double digit.

BRIEF SCORES
DHAKA SPORTS: 137 for 8 in 20 overs (Wasim 42, Ziaur 36, Wasel 13, Anisur 10; Ripon 2-9, Rabbi 2-26, Ridwan 1-3, Mendis 1-18, Dar 1-25).
ISPAHANI: 130 for 8 in 20 overs (Mendis 35, Rabbi 29, Shamsur 16, Sahagir 15; Shahadat 2-21, Wasim 2-31, Ziaur 1-10, Taposh 1-18).
Result: Dhaka Sports won by seven runs.
Man-of-the-match: Shahadat Hossain.


█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█▓█


Derby Abahani's
*************

Abahani came out on top in the local derby, beating Mohammedan Sporting Club by 21 runs in the second match of the Habib Group PCL Twenty20 tournament at the MA Aziz Stadium here yesterday.

Though Abahani reached the semifinals stage before the match and Mohammedan are already out of the tournament, the match created huge anticipation among the players and the viewers as well.

Batting first, Abahani reached 153 for eight in 20 overs before restricting Mohammedan for 132 for nine.

The most expensive player of the tournament and local hero Tamim Iqbal went back to the pavilion after making just 10 runs but Abahani's Sri Lankan recruit Chamara Silva led the team to seal the win with his 63 runs off 50 balls featuring six boundaries and a six.

Two-down batsman Silva stayed at the crease till the last over to push the score past the 150-mark. In the process of going for their runs, Abahani lost five wickets in the last seven balls.

National discard Hannan Sarker also hit a rapid 26-ball 36 that had a couple of sixes and three boundaries.

Chasing 154 runs for a face-saving victory, Mohammedans lost the first three wickets for just 18 runs in 4.4 overs.

That slimmed the hopes of Mohammedan but they recovered to 84 for four in 12.3 overs with a solid Qaisar Abbas hitting 41 off 38 balls that had four boundaries and a six.

Both Qaiser and Ishtiaq added 56 for the fourth wicket with the latter hitting 36 off 29 balls.

Nayyer Abbas also contributed 22 runs but finally his team could reach only 130 runs.

But it was Abahani's Sri Lankan recruit Frank Karunaratne who stole the limelight with two catches, one of which was simply amazing. Karunaratne ran from long-off and dove brilliantly near the boundary to get rid of Sanjamul Islam in the final over.

BRIEF SCORES
ABAHANI: 153 for 8 in 20 overs (Silva 63, Hannan 36, Karunaratne 19, Tamim 10; Lal 2-18, Tareq 2-18, Nayyer 1-24).
MOHAMMEDAN: 132 for 9 in 20 overs (Qaiser 41, Ishtiaq 36, Nayyer 22, Rasel 10; Talha 3-21, Karunaratne 3-30, Rasel 2-19, Rabiul 1-22).
Result: Abahani won by 21 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Frank Karunaratne.
May 7, 2009 at 10:26pm · Report

::: PCL ::: PORT CITY LEAGUE ~~ GEAR UP BANGLADESHI CRICKET TO FUTURE GLORY PCL T20 Chittagong 2009
***********************
Dada last into semis

***********************


Zunaed Siddiqui got back to form in the right time to take Dada Warriors to the semifinal of Habib Group PCL Twenty20 tournament at the MA Aziz Stadium here yesterday.

Riding on the left-handed opener's fine half-century and the best opening partnership of the tournament, Dada, who made 158-7 in 20 overs, beat Pirates of Chittagong by 10 runs in the last of the league matches, finishing as group runners-up.

They will now face group A champion Brothers Union in the first semifinal today at 10.30am while Group B champions Dhaka Sports will take on Chittagong Abahani in the second semifinal to be played at 2.30pm. Private satellite channel ATN Bangla will telecast the matches live.

Winning the toss, Dada openers Zunaed and Saeed Anwar Jr laid the foundation of the innings in style, adding 108 before being separated in the 14th over. Despite a brief hiccup that followed after Zunaed's departure, Dada managed to get past the 150-mark.

Zunaed hit three huge sixes and five sweetly-timed boundaries during his 56-minute stay at the crease to score 61 off 39 deliveries. Anwar also played well, giving good support to Zunaed and picking runs regularly to score 44 off 46 balls.

Arafat Sunny remained not out 20 off 13 balls.

In reply the Pirates were bowled out 148 in the final over. Although they started the chase promisingly with three boundaries in the very first over, they lost their way due to some reckless batting and wrong choice of shots from the first over. Openers Gazi Salahuddin smashed two boundaries from first three balls and got out the next ball for 8 runs.

Pirates' Pakistani buy Waqqas Ahmed hit the third boundary of the first over but fell soon after for six. Pirates thus lost first three batsmen cheaply by the third over.

Sharifullah's departure after the right-hander made 13 runs off 11 balls in the fifth over made the situation even more pitiable for them.

Tigers batsman Nayeem Islam held the innings together with a well-made half-century off 51 balls that had four boundaries and a six. The right-hander stayed till the end but due to poor batting from the others, he never could finish the job for his side.

Requiring 16 runs off the last over, Pirates could only manage five runs from first two balls but lost Biswanath Haldar in the third and Nayeem in the last ball of the day, finishing the innings at 148. Nayeem had a good day in the early part of the match too when he took two wickets conceding 25 runs.

But it was the century partnership between Zunaed and Dada's Pakistani recruit Anwar that sealed the fate of match.

“I am personally also delighted to have runs finally at a crucial time. I was looking forward to this sort of innings and I'm happy my contribution with the bat had helped my team to reach the semifinal,” said an ecstatic Zunaed, after receiving the man-of-the-match prize.

SCORES IN BRIEF
DADA WARRIORS: 158 for 7 in 20 overs (Anwar 44, Zunaed 61, Naveed 1, Faisal 2, Imran 1, Sunny 20*, Pankaj 12, Sajjad 8; Nayeem 2-25, Sharif 2-32. Shuvo 1-28).
PIRATES OF CHITTAGONG: 148 all out in 20 overs (Salahuddin 8, Waqqas 6, Sirajullah 4, Nayeem 52, Sharif 13, Shuvo 17, Noman 1, Tariq 22, Pallab 2, Biswanath 10; Rubel 1-40, Anwar 2-34, Naveed 3-16, Sunny 2-24).
Result: Dada Warriors won by 10 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Zunaed Siddiqui.
May 8, 2009 at 10:57pm · Report

::: PCL ::: PORT CITY LEAGUE ~~ GEAR UP BANGLADESHI CRICKET TO FUTURE GLORY =================
PCL T20 Chittagong 2009
=================

BROTHERS CLAIM T20 GLORY

*************************


Chamara Kapugedera's blitzkrieg and yet another captain's knock from Nafis Iqbal gave Chittagong Brothers Union the glamorous first-ever Habib Group Port-City Cricket League Twenty20 tournament title here at the MA Aziz Stadium yesterday. They defeated Dhaka Sports Club by six wickets in front of a full house 40,000-crowd with some fans sitting close to the boundary rope giving it a theatre feel.

With his side in huge trouble while chasing 147 set by Dhaka Sports, hometown boy Nafis had Sri Lankan international Kapugedara for company as the pair added an exciting 98 for the fourth wicket to ensure the much-coveted trophy stayed in Chittagong.

The victory also marked the return of Nafis Iqbal into the country's cricketing limelight after a few years in the oblivion and being slightly overshadowed by younger brother Tamim.

Nafis paced himself well and laced his 43-ball 53 with five superb boundaries as he played the holding role since the man at the other end -- Kapugedera -- took full charge. The stout Lankan rightly received the man-of-the-match award for his scintillating 31-ball 61 that had three sixes and six boundaries.

"We had the confidence that we can win the title if wickets are in hand. It was a wonderful effort and Kapugedara deserve a special mention. He played a key role in winning the final," Nafis told after receiving the trophy from Chittagong City Mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury.

Kapugedara, who only departed with the team needing six more runs, made way for Abdur Razzak (5*) who proceeded to smash Tigers teammate Shahadat Hossain to the boundary for the winning runs.

But it wasn't all plain sailing for Brothers. They struggled to get off to a good start, losing Jehan Mubarak (4) in the second over and Mehrab Hossain (8) in the fourth over leaving the team at 15 for 2 with both wickets going to Rashed Hanif. Their misery mounted further in the ninth over when Tushar Imran (6) was run out while trying to take an impossible second run.

But Nafis and Kapugedera combined well to add the 98 runs in just 56 balls. Hanif was the most successful Dhaka Sports bowler, picking up three for 15 but it was the reckless Shahadat and Ziaur Rahman who let the runs leak. Shahadat gave 31 off his 2.1 overs while semifinal hero Zia looked meek, giving away 17 in his only over.

However the Brothers bowlers were as tight as they could be in a 20-over bash with Razzak, Mubarak and Dollar Mahmud picking up two wickets each.

Dhaka Sports' innings was built around their Pakistani duo -- Wasim Nayeem and Hanif. The right-handed opener Nayeem lost opening partner Rashedur Rahman (1), skipper Rajin Saleh (0) and senior batsman Anisur Rahman but did not lose heart as he joined with Hanif to extend the innings.

Man-of-the-series Nayeem five fours and a couple of huge sixes in his 34 off 18 balls while Hanif struck 56 from 48 balls. But the duo's departure left Dhaka Sports struggling and although they reached a competitive 146 for nine, it was not enough for a rampant Brothers Union.

Truly the MA Aziz Stadium came back to life after several years as the locals flocked in huge numbers to enjoy a thrilling encounter that lasted less than four hours. In fact, this was the first floodlit match in the business capital after more than five years.

BRIEF SCORES

DHAKA SPORTS CLUB: 146 for 9 in 20 overs (Nayeem 34, Rashedur 1, Rajin 0, Anisur 7, Hanif 56, Ziaur 14, Wasel 6, Mashud 13, Taposh 1, Nahid 4*, Shahadat 1*; Razzak 2-32, Mubarak 2-28, Yunus 1-26, Shahjada 1-31, Dollar 2-28).

BROTHERS UNION: 148 for 4 in 18.1 overs (Mubarak 4, Nafees 53*, Tushar 6, Mehrab 8, Kapugedara 61, Razzak 5*; Hanif 3-15).
Result: Brothers Union won by six wickets.
Man-of-the-match: Chamara Kapugedara.
Man-of-the-series: Wasim Nayeem.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\