Miraz dazzles as resurgent Rajshahi Kings blow Rangpur Riders away

A match-winning effort from teenage allrounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz has propelled Rajshahi Kings to a crushing 49-run win over Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League 2016.

Sports Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 28 Nov 2016, 04:35 PM
Updated : 28 Nov 2016, 04:35 PM

The hero of Bangladesh's historic maiden Test win over England earlier this month played a match-saving knock before bagging two wickets as the Kings sealed their fourth win on the bounce at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday.

Rajshahi, who had lost four of their first five matches before this game, were tottering on 47-7 at one stage after electing to bat. But Miraz found an able partner in Farhad Reza to lead the team out of the wilderness and helped post 128-7.

He then got the break with his first ball by picking out Soumya Sarkar (1) and struck again with a fine return catch six balls later to remove Nasir Jamshed (1) to hurt the Riders early.

The wheels came off the chase when Mohammad Shehzad and Mohammad Mithun, the only ones to reach double figures for Rangpur, walked back.

Southpaw Nazmul Islam spun through the middle order by sending back Liam Dawson (2), Shahid Afridi (7) and Ziaur Rahman (5) before pacer Abul Hasan took the tail out.

Nazmul returned a miserly 3-8 from four overs, Abul took 3-11 in 2.4 overs and Miraz 2-12.

Miraz credited his skipper and other senior teammates after the match.

"Specially, thanks to (Darren) Sammy and other senior teammates... They told me not to take pressure and to keep bowling in the right areas. I did that," he said.

Miraz (41) had earlier fashioned a dogged resistance with Reza (44) in the eighth wicket to rescue Rajshahi from a woeful position and shepherd the team to a respectable total.

Afridi (2-10) strangled the batsmen from one end while spinner Arafat Sunny (3-31) put the Kings' top order to the sword from the other.

Sabbir Rahman (16) was the only batsman to reach double figures before Miraz and Reza dug deep.

With the team reeling at 50-7 halfway through the overs, they patiently played themselves in and staged a late assault at the death in an unbroken 85-run stand.

In a partnership that grew on singles and doubles, they hit five boundaries and three to add 50 runs in the final four overs.

The win has lifted Rajshahi to fourth on the table.