Mashrafee guide Khulna to final
|| CF Correspondent ||
Mashrafee bin Mortaza’s five-wicket haul following a combined batting effort helped Gemcon Khulna seal their spot in the final of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup as they defeating high-flying Gazi Group Chattogram by 47 runs in the eliminator at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Monday.
Mashrafee picked 5-35 as Chattogram were bundled out for 163 chasing 211 to win.
Mashrafee struck in his very first over by taking the wicket of opener Soumya Sarkar as the left-handed batsman tried to clear the boundary with a pull shot but was caught at deep mid-wicket by youngster Shamim Hossain.
In-form Liton Das played some brilliant shots and scored 24 off 12 balls before he was removed by Mashrafee in the fourth over to put his team on a driving seat.
Khulna’s heavyweight batting order clicked as per expectation for the first time in the tournament as they posted a mammoth total as they scoring 210 in the first innings after losing the toss proved that it was a good toss to lose for Khulna.
Opener Jahurul Islam was the highest run-scorer for Khulna with a brilliant 80-run innings at the top while middle-order batsmen Imrul Kayes and Shakib al Hasan continued the high run rate as they scored 25 off 12 deliveries and 28 off 15 balls respectively.
Mahmudullah smashed three sixes and two boundaries in his nine-ball stay at the crease and his 30 helped Khulna to cruise towards a total around 200.