Dynamites start BPL campaign with 83-run win over Kings

Sports Desk: Dhaka Dynamites, the current runners-up of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), started their new season with a thumping 83-run win over Rajshahi Kings at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Afghan batsman Hazratulah Zazai and Bangladesh national pacer Rubel Hossain played the pivotal roles to ensure a big win for Dynamites.

Zazai struck a polished innings of 78 off 41 balls featuring four fours and seven sixe to be adjudged man of the match to received prize money of US dollars 500 while Rubel Hossain took three scalps for seven runs in three overs.

Rajshahi Kings had a poor start to chase a big target of 190 as they lost three wickets before posting 50 on the board.

After adding 50, they lost four wickets in a span of three runs (while going to 59 56). All of Mominul Haque (8), Soumya Sarkar (4), Zakir Hasan (2), Christian Jonker (1), Mehidy Hasan (1) failed to score a double-digit innings.

Mohammad Hafeez, the veteran Pakistani all-rounder, scored 29 for Rajshahi which was the highest total for Rajshahi Kings in the match and Laurie Evans posted 10.

In the last wicket stand, Arafat Sunny (18) and Mustafizur Rahman (11*) added 26 runs.

Eventually, Rajshahi wrapped in for 106 all-out and Dhaka managed to win the game by a big margin of 83 runs.

Earlier, Dhaka Dynamites scored a challenging total of 189 for five wickets, sent to bat first, Shakib-Al Hasan’s Dynamites made a rampant start scoring 116 runs in 10.4 overs in the opening stand by Afghan opener Hazratullah Zazai and West Indian Sunil Narine.

They ended up with a fighting total despite poor show by Captain Shakib Al Hasan (2) and Kieron Pollard (3).

Left-handed Afghan batting sensation Zazai hit the first half century of the ongoing BPL scoring 78 runs off 41 deliveries hitting four fours and seven sixes.

Left-handed Caribbean batsman Sunil Narine contributed 38 runs off 28 balls featuring four fours and two sixes.

Sunil was the first man to fall. After the break of first wicket stand, Dhaka lost their five wickets for 20 runs. But Zazai, the 20-year-old Afghan batsman, played like a champion.

Andre Russell and Shuvagata Hom also did some damage to Rajshahi bowlers. They added 53 runs off 28 balls in the sixth wicket partnership.

Number seven Shuvagata Hom quick-fired an unbeaten 14-ball 38 runs featuring five fours and two sixes while Russell contributed not out 21 runs off 19 balls, hitting two fours and a six.

Arafat Sunny, the left-arm spinner, was the most successful bowler for Rajshahi. He took two wickets conceding 23 runs in three overs while Pakistani Mohammad Hafeez, Qais Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took one wicket each.

Dhaka Dynamites will play their next match against Khulna Titans on January 8 while Rajshahi Kings will also face Khulna in their next fixture on January 9.

risingbd/Dhaka/January 05, 2019/AKA