Aliss Islam's hat-trick helps Dhaka sneak two-run win
The offspinner struck thrice in the 18th over of a tense chase to decisively tilt the scales in the favour of his team
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- Rony Talukdar had got off to a blazing start when he launched Sohag Gazi's offspin over mid-off at the end of the fourth over. Normally, it would have given Talukdar his fourth boundary in eight balls. To his misfortune, though, he had to watch Ben Howell sprint back from extra cover and dive in front to grab a spectacular catch. Where it could have otherwise resulted in Rangpur chasing over 200, Howell's brilliance ended Talukdar's short burst prematurely and enabled Rangpur to come close eventually.
- Pollard v Nazmul Islam. The left-arm spinner had been a great asset for Rangpur until Friday, picking up wickets and returning miserly figures. When he came on to bowl against Dhaka, Pollard had him ripe for the picking, welcoming him to the crease with a brace of fours, and then biffing him for three sixes in his next over. Nazmul ended up bowling only two overs for 34 runs.
- Gayle's early dismissal to the Russell-Pollard tandem in the deep. It eliminated an early threat in the opposition, which proved vital in a game of close margins, and put the pressure on Rangpur early.
- Rossouw's stumping in the 16th over. Seeing the batsman advance, Aliss dragged his length back, leaving Rossouw to swipe across the line and completely miss. It opened the gates as Rangpur lost seven wickets for 24 runs.
Akshay Gopalakrishnan is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo