Afif sheds Malan’s century to hand Rajshahi victory
Photo - BCB , Roton Gomes
|| CF Correspondent ||
Dawid Malan’s valiant century was not enough to seal the deal as Afif Hossain put a shed on him to help Rajshahi Royals record a seven-wicket victory over Cumilla Warriors in the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Tuesday.
This was Rajshahi’s fourth victory in five matches which propelled them to the second position of the point table with eight points behind Chattogram Challengers who have 10 points in seven games. In the contrary, it was Cumilla’s fourth defeat in six matches.
Malan struck a 54 ball-100 not out to help Cumilla post 170-8, which Rajshahi, led by Afif’s career-best T20 knock gunned down the target with utmost ease with 13 balls to spare.
Afif and Liton combined for a 60-run partnership in seven overs for the opening stand to lay a solid platform after which Mujeeb Ur Rahman broke through with the wicket of the Liton for 27. Liton struck two fours and as many sixes in his 19 ball-knock.
Al-Amin Hossain then dismissed Shoaib Malik for 1 to leave Rajshahi 70-2 and raised Cumilla’s hope to bounce back in the match.
However, that hope was ruined as Afif shared a further 62-run partnership with Ravi Bopara for the third wicket.
Al-Amin again broke the partnership, removing Afif for 76 off 53 in which he smashed eight fours and two sixes.
Afif’s dismissal brought captain Andre Russell to the crease and the Caribbean giant hastened the victory with a flurry of boundaries, with apt support from Ravi Bopara who was not out on 40 off 22, hitting four fours and one six. Russell was not out on 21 off eight balls, clobbering three fours and one maximum.
Al-Amin Hossain picked up 2-49 while Mujeeb scalped 1-17 in four overs.
After being sent to bat first, Dawid Malan stood tall amid his colleagues’ failure to hit a century as Cumilla Warriors put up a reasonable total on the board.
Malan who opened the innings for the side batted till the end to remain unbeaten on exact 100 and that came off just 54 deliveries. He struck nine fours and five sixes in his innings.
He literally single-handedly drove the side to the safety when his colleagues found it tough to make runs against Rajshahi bowlers. The next best was Soumya Sarkar’s 20 off 22 that studded with one four and one six.
Captain Dasun Shanaka made 11 while opener Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored 10. No other batsmen, however, could reach the double-digit figure.
Andre Russell, Mohammad Irfan, and Abu Jayed Rahi picked up two wickets apiece for Rajshahi.
