Dhaka
Gladiators won the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League by bringing out their
A-game in the knockout stages of the tournament. They took only 15.4 overs to
overhaul the Barisal Burners total and complete a eight-wicket win in front of
a packed Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.
The
gulf between the two teams was evident as the Pakistan-heavy Gladiators had a
lot more to offer with bat and ball compared to the top-heavy Burners, who
could only score 140 for 7 in 20 overs. Gladiators' young Anamul Haque was the
only local player to impress, scoring 49 off 38 balls with five fours and a
six. He sealed the victory for the home team with a lofted on-drive against left-arm
spinner Nazmul Islam with 26 balls to spare.Anamul added 110 for the second
wicket with the opener Imran Nazir, who hammered six fours and six sixes in his
43-ball 75. That partnership ensured victory for Gladiators, whose turnaround
in the tournament in the knockout stages coincided with the arrival of Shahid
Afridi and Saeed Ajmal.
The
Burners' defence of their modest total suffered because of poor catching.
Mohammad Mithun, a wicketkeeper who was auctioned for $80,000, had a terrible
time under the lights. Fielding in the deep, he dropped Nazimuddin twice at
deep square-leg off consecutive Kabir Ali deliveries in the second over.
Their
problems weren't restricted to poor catching and bowling. The Burners' batting
also suffered from early losses. As soon as Ahmed Shehzad fell for 28 in the
fifth over by failing to clear mid-off, and Phil Mustard followed by getting
trapped leg-before by Saeed Ajmal, it was all down to the captain Brad Hodge.
The
Australia batsman didn't disappoint, hitting four boundaries and four sixes in
his unbeaten 51-ball 70. Hodge, despite his efforts, couldn't put together a
decent partnership against a high quality bowling attack as the rest simply
wilted.
The
Burners also benefited from some slip-ups in the field, with Gladiators' Dhiman
Ghosh topping the list of offenders. The wicketkeeper first dropped a skier
from Shehzad before missing a stumping off Ajmal, but he made amends with a
reflex catch off a ripper from Afridi. Later, even Afridi and Azhar Mahmood
dropped a skier each.
In
the end, it was the Gladiators' star power that took them through. Their
efforts to keep some Dhaka players in the line-up paid off as Mohammad
Ashraful, Elias Sunny and Anamul all performed well. It was disappointing that
no Barisal-born players were given enough opportunities in the Burners line-ups
throughout the tournament.
But
as far as a Twenty20 jamboree goes, some of the cricket was breathtaking,
though the off-field issues will remain the talking point till the next
edition.
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