Left-arm spin duo Naeem Islam Jr and Enamul Haque Jr shared eight wickets between them to set up an easy eight-wicket win for Mohammedan Sporting Club over Gazi Group in the Dhaka Premier League on Friday. Naeem picked up 4-38, his second four-wicket haul in as many matches, while Enamul grabbed 4-26 as Mohammedan bundled Gazi out for 141 runs in 37.1 overs before racing to 142-3 with more than 18 overs in hand for their third win in the league.
Naeem, reported for suspect action earlier in the league, picked up his second successive man of the match award as he scripted the downfall of Gazi’s top-four batsmen. .
Gazi openers looked good during the start when they put on 37 runs before they fell apart immediately after the introduction of Naeem as the left-arm spinner removed Shamsur Rahman (26) with his fifth ball of the innings.
Anamul, who scored a wonderful hundred in the previous match, never looked to be dominating as MSC bowlers continued to trouble him with their line and length.
Anamul (23) paid the price of his impatience when he tried to hit a straight ball of Naeem over mid-wicket to be safely taken by Saikat Ali at the boundary rope.
Naeem then grabbed the wicket of one-down Mehedi Hasan and Pakistani cricketer Saeed Anwar Jr and in between his last two wickets off-spinner Habibur Rahman bowled Farhad Hossain to leave Gazi struggling at 5-85.
Alok Kapali provided some resistance to make 48 off 67 balls giving Gazi’s innings some respectability, though it never looked to be a competitive score on a solid batting track at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Naeem said that he is enjoying his recent success and want to continue with the flow as it is reaping him success.
‘I am not trying too many things rather just focusing on my line and length,’ Naeem told reporters after the match. ‘I just want to continue the way I am bowling instead of trying lot of experiments. I think the wicket is helping the spinners as some turn is available,’ he added.
Mohammedan too started poorly to lose opener Ezaz Ahmed poorly but Saikat Ali and Upul Tharanga put 76 runs for the second wicket to orchestrate the win.
Saikat made 42 runs from 51 balls with eight boundaries before he was trapped leg—before by Kapali. Tharanga top-scored for Mohammedan with 47 off 69 balls with the help of eight fours.
Brief Scores
Gazi Group 141 in 37.1 overs (Kapali 48, Shamsur 26, Anamul 23; Enamul 4-26, Naeem 4-38) v MSC 142-3 in 31.5 overs (Tharanga 47, Saikat 42).
Result: Mohammedan SC won by 7 wickets.
Man of the match: Naeem Islam Jnr (MSC)
-With New Age input
