Report

Ashok Menaria takes Doleshwar to top spot

A round-up of all DPL matches played on June 1, 2016

Mohammad Isam
Mohammad Isam
01-Jun-2016
Mosaddek Hossain struck back-to-back sixes to seal Abahani Limited's win over Prime Bank Cricket Club  •  BCB

Mosaddek Hossain struck back-to-back sixes to seal Abahani Limited's win over Prime Bank Cricket Club  •  BCB

Ashok Menaria's impressive all-round performance led Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club to the top of the DPL points table with a five-wicket win over Gazi Group Cricketers in Mirpur.
Menaria's unbeaten 61-ball 59 that included two fours and sixes steered Doleshwar's chase of 214 after hostile opening spells from pacers Mohammad Sharif and Sajedul Islam had reduced them to 70 for 3 in the 24th over.
Wicketkeeper Anamul Haque took a brilliant catch after opener Imtiaz Hossain top-edged a pull. Just as the ball was going over his head, Anamul leapt backwards and completed a one-handed catch to give Gazi Group an early breakthrough. Robiul Islam Robi and Raqibul Hasan added 42 runs in the next 11.4 overs before their wickets, in the space of five overs, tied Gazi Group down.
Menaria lifted Doleshwar by first adding 64 runs for the fourth wicket with Nasir Hossain, who scored 40 off 56 balls, and then 70 runs for the fifth wicket with Rony Talukdar, who made 43 off 45 balls. Sharif and Sajedul's efforts with the ball were undone by sloppy fielding. Gazi Group dropped as many as five catches, and both bowlers had to settle with one wicket each.
Earlier, Gazi Group had slipped to 97 for 5 by the 33rd over, with both in-form openers Anamul and Shamsur Rahman falling cheaply. Elias Sunny's 46 dragged his side past 150, after which a 51-run stand for the eighth wicket between Farhad Hossain and Sharif took them to 213 for 8. Menaria was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 29 in nine overs, including a maiden.
Abahani Limited finally had their big players firing, in their five-wicket win over Prime Bank Cricket Club at the BKSP-3 ground. They are placed third in the points table, with 12 points from 10 matches.
Yusuf Pathan, fresh off the IPL, slammed seven fours and two sixes in his 47-ball 60, but when he fell in the 28th over, Abahani still needed 89 to reach the 241-run target. Shakib Al Hasan was dismissed for 3 in the next over, but Mosaddek Hossain then anchored the chase with an unbeaten 64 off 49, his second successive half-century.
Having been stuck in traffic at the Dhaka-Sarvar highway, Yusuf had arrived 41 minutes after scheduled start of play. But the opposition captain Shuvagata Hom and the match officials allowed him to take the field, despite being late.
Mosaddek and Liton Das added an unbroken 87 runs for the sixth wicket as Abahani sealed the win with 33 balls to spare. Liton stayed unbeaten on 25 off 51 balls.
Abahani captain Tamim Iqbal had laid the platform with 40 off 46 balls, before falling to Shuvagata in the 13th over. Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Yusuf then put on 94 runs for the third wicket to help Abahani eat into the target.
Earlier, Prime Bank posted 240 for 9 in 50 overs with Nurul Hasan top-scoring with 46. Openers Mehedi Maruf (26) and Shanaj Ahmed (24) got starts, but they were dismissed in successive overs. Prime Bank were further pushed back when Sabbir Rahman and new Indian recruit Unmukt Chand exited for a duck and 2.
Shakib led Abahani's bowling surge with returns of 4 for 35, including the wickets of Sabbir, Chand and Mehedi. He was complemented by left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib who claimed 3 for 37. Shuvagata and Taibur Rahman added 50 for the sixth wicket to help Prime Bank recover from 79 for 4. After both batsmen fell, No.10 Monir Hussain scored a brisk 25 to take his team to 240.
Kalabagan Cricket Academy beat Cricket Coaching School by five wickets (D/L method) in a bottom-of-the-table tussle in Fatullah.
Having opted to bat, CCS managed only 185 for 9 in 50 overs as no batsman passed 38. As many as five batsmen got starts but none got a substantial score. Captain Mahmudul Hasan led KCA's superb bowling effort with returns of 3 for 37.
Then it was the turn of Jatin Saxena to play a match-winning hand. The Indian batsman struck 87 off 95 balls, including seven fours and three sixes. Jatin was assisted by Mahmudul who made 46 off 84 balls. Rain interrupted KCA's innings but they reached the revised target of 184 with 53 balls to spare.
Left-arm spinners Nasum Ahmed and Saleh Ahmed Shawon took two wickets each for CCS.

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84