Bangladesh News T20

Young Anamul Haque once again showed why he's a brilliant prospect for the future with a stroke-filled 83 off just 46 balls that led the Dhaka Gladiators to a whopping 89-run victory over the Rangpur Riders at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. Batting first Dhaka posted 217, the highest in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20. The win took Dhaka back to the top of the league.

Both skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who was mysteriously dropped in Dhaka's previous game and Shakib Al Hasan who had suffered a hamstring injury, came back strongly. The all-rounder, who played despite not having reviewed his shin bone injury performed with both bat and ball.

The pressure of the required run rate caused Rangpur to lose wickets regularly. While Kevin O'Brien's towering six over square leg in the first over gave spectators the hope of a fighting effort from the Riders, it was not to be as the Riders were restricted to 129 for nine in 19.5 overs, with Fidel Edwards unable to bat due to injury. Shakib was the pick of the Dhaka bowlers, scything through the Rangpur middle order to claim three for 19.

Earlier, it was the Anamul Haque show that dominated Dhaka's batting display as the youngster smashed five sixes and six fours in his 46-ball 83. The right-hander, who came to bat at number three after the fall of Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan who was playing his first BPL match, shared an 83-run stand with Shakib for the third wicket and helped propel Dhaka past the 200-mark. He was particularly brutal against the spinners as four of his five sixes came against them. The manner in which he dispatched stand-in Rangpur skipper Nasir Hossain for consecutive boundaries in the 18th over -- two sixes and a four -- summed up how well he was timing the ball. He was eventually caught at short third man in the 19th over, while attempting to clear the ropes for the sixth time.

Aggressive innings from Shakib and Darren Stevens also contributed to the score. Shakib returned from injury to score a 24-ball 42 with two sixes and four boundaries. Stevens provided the late surge with a 31-ball 42.

Abdur Razzak, Rangpur's regular skipper missed the match because of a groin injury sustained in Rangpur's previous game. The left-arm spinner will take four to five days to recover, informed the BCB phsyio.

SCORES IN BRIEF
DHAKA GLADIATORS: 217 for 4 in 20 overs (Dilshan 18, Ashraful 14, Anamul 83, Shakib 42, Stevens 42 not out; Murad 2-29)
RANGPUR RIDERS: 129 all out in 19.5 overs (Junaed 17, K O'Brien 20, Nasir 14, Borgas 16, Dhiman 36 not out, Sharif 21; Mashrafe 2-20, Shakib 3-19, Ashraful 2-9)
Result: Dhaka Gladiators won by 88 runs.
Player-of-the-match: Anamul Haque.