Brilliant batting by Shahriar Nafees and Alok Kapali kept ICL Bangladesh’s hopes alive for a semifinal berth in the ICL World Series
Alok Kapali and Shahriar Nafees bat superbly to guide Bangladesh to five-wicket win over ICL India
AHMEDABAD: Brilliant batting by Shahriar Nafees and Alok Kapali kept ICL Bangladesh’s hopes alive for a semifinal berth in the ICL World Series here on Tuesday. The Dhaka team recorded a thrilling five-wicket victory over ICL India, thanks to Nafees’ unbeaten 70 and Kapali’s stroke-filled 44. The two efforts helped Bangladesh chase India’s 164 with three balls to spare.
Nafees played a supporting role as Kapali went on a rampage. Some sweetly-timed cover drives and pull shots from Kapali’s bat made Indian bowling attack look ordinary. He was severe on left-arm spinner Indrashekhar Reddy. During his 23-ball knock, Kapali pelted four sixes and two boundaries. For the second wicket, they added 58 runs in six overs. After Kapali’s departure, Nafees took the charge. He hit four sixes and an equal number of fours. Moreover, India’s sloppy fielding added Bangla’s cause.
Earlier, captain Rajagopal Sathish played a cameo as ICL India reached a respectable score of 164 for 9. Batting lower in the order Sathish hammered 44 runs off 20 balls on a pitch that was slower compared to earlier matches.
India began positively when wicketkeeper-batsman Ibrahim Khaleel cracked a Ferhad Reza delivery through the cover off the last ball of the first over. But then a disciplined bowling from either ends —- Reza and Tapash Baisya —- ensured that the home team did not have good start.
Vignesh (9) became the first victim when he ballooned a catch to Golam Sisir off Baisya. Monday’s hero Ambati Rayudu joined Khaleel. The duo showed understanding as they played according to the merit of the ball. Rayudu (22) continued from where he left on Monday, with a powerful cover drive off Reza. The second wicket partnership garnered 43 runs in 25 balls.
Soon Alok Kapali produced a delivery which gave Khaleel the return ticket to the dug out after scoring 27. Rayudu followed suit when he became the first victim of left arm spinner Mosharraf Hussain. Stuart Binny (27) and Hemang Badani (12) started their respective innings well, but fell into Hussain’s trap. Aiming big, both were caught in the deep reducing India to 107 for 5 in 15th over.
Indian batting looked in disarray until Sathish and RS Sodhi took charge of the 22-yard strip. Not afraid of showing his aggression on the field, the India captain smacked Reza through cover and then followed it up with a towering six over long-on.
The captain didn’t disappoint the crowd as he hit Hussain for two sixes over long-on. The duo shared 44 runs between them before Sodhi (11) was shown the door in the penultimate over. When Sathish was caught by Nazimuddin of Rafique after knocking four sixes and two boundaries in the final over, India were due to chase a total of 164.
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