The Dhaka Premier League’s last undefeated team fell on Thursday as Mohammedan SC were beaten by Sheikh Jamal DC to leave the young season wide open after four rounds of matches.
Mohammedan SC were on the wrong end of one of the day’s three one-sided affairs, with the perennial powerhouse receiving a 239-run beating at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
At Fatullah, Brothers Union rolled over winless Khelaghar, cruising to an eight-wicket victory with more than half their overs left to put them on six points after four games, level with four other teams – Mohammedan, Sheikh Jamal, Gazi Tank Cricketers and Prime Doleshwar SC – at the top of the 12-team table.
In Thursday’s other game, Kalabagan Cricket Academy also won by eight wickets after a rain delay at BKSP-3 reduced their contest with Abahani Ltd to a 34-over-a-side match.
Mohammedan SC v Sheikh Jamal DC
Afghan Gulbadin Naib’s blistering 54-ball 93 not out punctuated a strong, balanced batting performance from Sheikh Jamal, who scored 306/7 in 50 overs and made Mohammedan regret their decision to field first.
Sheikh Jamal and Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim scored 50 off 36 balls and Sri Lankan Dilshan Munaweera added 51 from 50 to give Sheikh Jamal three half-centuries at better than a run-a-ball.
The Sheikh Jamal innings began uneventfully, as openers Jaharul Islam (33) and Junaid Siddique (47) took their partnership to 67 in 17 overs before Jaharul was dismissed. They continued to score at just under four-an-over until Junaid’s wicket fell in the 26th over, leaving Sheikh Jamal at 98/2.
From there, Munaweera, Mushfiq and man-of-the-match Naib accelerated, and Sheikh Jamal scored at over eight-an-over the rest of the way. Ajantha Mendis picked up three wickets for Mohammedan, who were missing veteran pace bowler Mashrafee bin Murtaza through a knee injury, aggravated during their last game against Abahani Ltd on Sunday.
Mohammedan’s reply got off to a terrible start – losing Upul Tharanga leg-before in the very first over – and never recovered as they were bundled out for 67 runs in just 22.4 overs and their defence of the DPL’s last unbeaten record ended in a whimper.
Kenya’s Elton Chigumbura took 4-13 in just 2.4 overs to lead the Sheikh Jamal attack. Elias Sunny chipped in with two wickets for just four runs in three overs, while wicketkeeper-captain Mushfiq took four catches to go with his half-century.
Brothers Union v Khelaghar SKS
Man-of-the-match Angelo Mathews took 3-17 in seven overs with the ball to help dispatch Khelaghar for 102 runs in just 33.4 overs before scoring 51 runs from as many deliveries to guide Brothers Union to 103-2 with 151 balls to spare.
Sanjamul Islam and Sachithra Senanayake also picked up two wickets apiece for Brothers, who won the toss and elected to field. Khelaghar opener Michael Vandort scored 35 but received very little support from his team-mates save for Mosaddek Iftekhar, who added 22 at the end of the brief innings.
Brothers approached the chase steadily and, after a brief stumble which saw openers Tamim Iqbal (21) and Imtiaz Hossain (5) fall in quick succession to leave them at 30-2, cruised to the finish on the back of a 73-run partnership between Mathews and Nafees Iqbal (15).
Abahani Ltd v Kalabagan Cricket Academy
A rain-delay at the BKSP-3 ground, which had been subject to criticism for deteriorating in the second innings, did not deter Kalabagan CA from electing to field first in their 34-over match against Abahani Ltd.
The decision proved to be the right one, as a 166-run second-wicket partnership between Mizanur Rahman and Zimbabwe international Hamilton Masakadza saw Kalabagan CA clinch an emphatic eight-wicket victory
with 3.1 overs to spare
after Abahani posted 188-6.
Abahani looked to be heading for a much smaller total after falling to 89-4 with the wicket of Sri
Lankan Tharanga Paranavitana (16) in the 22nd over, but Mosaddek Hossain scored 62 from 76 balls and Talina Kandambi smacked 53 off 38 to take their side to a competitive total.
Dewan Sabbir took three wickets for Kalabagan
CA but also went for 47 runs in his seven overs. Sharif Ullah took 2-34 in his seven.
Masakadza joined Mizan at the crease when opener and fellow Zimbabwean Vusi Sibanada (5) was bowled out in the fifth over, and the two batted together until Mizan fell for 91 off 94 in the 30th over with just eight runs left to get for victory.
Nabil Samad and Al-Amin picked up the only two wickets that fell for the largely ineffective Abahani attack.
Masakadza finished unbeaten on 85 from 72 balls, as he and Marshall Ayub (6) took the total to 189-2 and put Kalabagan CA on five points for the season, one behind the glut of teams leading the league with six.
BRIEF SCORES
Mohammedan SC v Sheikh Jamal DC
Sheikh Jamal DC 306-7 in 50 overs (G Naib 93 not out, D Munaweera 51, M Rahim 50, J Siddique 47, J Islam 33, A Bashar 22; A Mendis 3-55) v Mohammedan SC 67 in 22.4 overs (S Rahman 22; E Chigumburra 4-13, E Sunny 2-4).
Result: Sheikh Jamal DC won by 239 runs. Man of the match: G Naib (SJDC).
***
Abahani Limited v Kalabagan Cricket Academy
Abahani 188-6 in 34 overs (M Hossain 62, T Kandambi 53 not out, S Nafees 26; D Sabbir 3-47, Sharifullah 2-34) v Kalabagan CA 189-2 in 30.5 overs (M Rahman 91, H Masakadza 85 not out; Al-Amin 1-32).
Result: Kalabagan CA won by 8 wickets. Man of the match: M Rahman (KCA)
***
Bothers Union v Khelaghor SKS
Khelaghor SKS 102 in 33.4 overs (M Vandort 35, M Iftekhar 22; A Mathews 3-17, S Senanayake 2-12, S Islam 2-2) v Brothers Union 103-2 in 24.5 overs (A Mathews 51 not out, T Iqbal 21, N Iqbal 15 not out; N Ripon 1-3).
Result: Brothers Union won by 8 wickets. Man of the match: A Mathews (BU)
-With New Age input
