e_Paper (11 November 2016)
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DT<br />
26<br />
Sport<br />
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER <strong>11</strong>, <strong>2016</strong><br />
BPL 3 finalists Comilla, Barisal lock horns<br />
• Mazhar Uddin<br />
The finalists of the Bangladesh Premier<br />
League Twenty20’s third edition,<br />
reigning champions Comilla<br />
Victorians and Barisal Bulls have<br />
both lost their opening game in the<br />
fourth edition and will look to register<br />
their first win when they take<br />
on each other at Sher-e-Bangla National<br />
Stadium in Mirpur today.<br />
Mashrafe bin Mortaza’s Comilla<br />
lost to Tamim Iqbal’s Chittagong<br />
Vikings by 29 runs where apart<br />
from youngster Nazmul Hossain<br />
Shanto’s fifty, none of the batsmen<br />
were able to score significantly in<br />
pursuit of a target of 162.<br />
Their bowling department also<br />
needs to fire as they bagged only<br />
one wicket against the port city<br />
outfit.<br />
In their first game, Mushfiqur<br />
Rahim’s Barisal also suffered a<br />
comprehensive eight-wicket loss<br />
against Dhaka Dynamites. Even<br />
though Mushfiq and Shahriar Nafees<br />
struck half-centuries, their<br />
overseas players Dilshan Munaweera,<br />
Dawid Malan, Thisara<br />
Perera and Rayad Emrit all failed<br />
to score as they eventually posted<br />
148/6 in their 20 overs.<br />
To add to that, Barisal pacer<br />
Al Amin Hossain was a let-down<br />
in the opening game and will no<br />
A file photo of a Comilla Victorians practice session MD MANIK<br />
doubt eye a better show today,<br />
along with Perera and Munaweera,<br />
while Taijul Islam will provide support<br />
in the spin department.<br />
And according to Mushfiq, the<br />
senior players, alongside the foreigners,<br />
need to step up and display<br />
better cricket.<br />
“In this BPL edition, if you notice,<br />
all the teams are well-balanced<br />
and whoever plays good<br />
cricket and commit less mistakes<br />
on a given day will win the game.<br />
As Comilla and ourselves have lost<br />
our first game, it’s very important<br />
to seal a win and gain confidence<br />
Zamal clinches<br />
Professional Golf title<br />
for the rest of the tournament. Our<br />
main target will be to do our basics<br />
right,” Mushfiq told the media yesterday.<br />
Meanwhile in the evening game<br />
at the same venue, high-flying Dhaka<br />
will look to continue their brilliant<br />
run after winning their opening<br />
game comfortably against a demoralised<br />
Rajshahi Kings, who lost their<br />
tournament opener against Khulna<br />
Titans by just three runs.<br />
Opening batsman Mehedi<br />
Maruf, who struck a magnificent<br />
unbeaten half-century in the last<br />
game, will once again look to continue<br />
from where he had left off<br />
against Barisal while their Lankan<br />
legend Kumar Sangakkara, West<br />
Indians Dwayne Bravo and Andre<br />
Russell and England’s Ravi Bopara<br />
can be devastating on any given<br />
day.<br />
Skipper Shakib al Hasan will<br />
marshal his troop and with Nasir<br />
Hossain and pacer Mohammad<br />
Shahid at his disposal, Rajshahi<br />
will have to play their best cricket<br />
in order to register their maiden<br />
win in the first edition.<br />
Rajshahi captain Darren Sammy<br />
will have to lead from the front,<br />
along with Sabbir Rahman, who<br />
was dismissed for only four against<br />
Khulna.<br />
However, Mominul Haque batted<br />
well and smashed a half-century<br />
in the first game and will have<br />
to play another vital knock at the<br />
opening spot.<br />
Sabbir is of the opinion that his<br />
side should not think about the big<br />
names in Dhaka’s dugout. Rather,<br />
they should just ensure not repeating<br />
their mistakes from the previous<br />
game.<br />
“Cricket is a team game where<br />
the contribution of all the <strong>11</strong> members<br />
of the side is required. We are<br />
not thinking about our opponent. I<br />
think if we play to our potential, we<br />
can beat Dhaka,” said Sabbir. •<br />
TODAY’S MATCHES<br />
Comilla Victorians v Barisal Bulls, 2pm<br />
Dhaka Dynamites v Rajshahi Kings, 7pm<br />
Both matches will be held at SBNS, Mirpur<br />
Rahmatganj<br />
stun Sk Jamal<br />
• Tribune Report<br />
Rahmatganj MFS shocked Sheikh<br />
Jamal Dhanmondi Club 1-0 in the<br />
second phase of the Bangladesh<br />
Premier League at Bangabandhu<br />
National Stadium yesterday.<br />
Forward Siyo Zunapiyo netted<br />
the all-important goal in the 69th<br />
minute to take unfancied Rahmatganj<br />
to third position in the 12-<br />
team points table. With 25 points<br />
from 14 matches, Rahmatganj now<br />
trail table-toppers Abahani Limited<br />
by three four points but the latter<br />
have a game in hand. Sheikh Jamal<br />
are fourth with 22 points from the<br />
same number of points. The corresponding<br />
fixture in the first phase<br />
ended in a 1-1 draw. •<br />
RESULT<br />
Rahmatganj 1-0 Sk Jamal<br />
Siyo 69<br />
• Tribune Report<br />
The four-day long Paragon Professional<br />
Golf Competition came to an<br />
end yesterday with Zamal Hossain<br />
Mollah emerging as the champion<br />
at Kurmitola Golf Club.<br />
Mollah struck 14-under-par and<br />
ran away with the title ahead of<br />
second-placed Mohammad Nizam<br />
(two-under-par) and Mohammad<br />
Zakir Uzzaman and Mohammad<br />
Badal Hossain (both one-underpar),<br />
who jointly finished third.<br />
Mohammad Akbar Hossain,<br />
meanwhile, finished highest<br />
among the amateur golfers.<br />
A total of 70 professional and<br />
10 amateur golfers took part in the<br />
Tk 10 lakh event where 45 players<br />
missed the cut after round two.<br />
Kazi Nabil Ahmed, MP distributed<br />
prizes among the winners following<br />
the conclusion of the fourth<br />
and final round. The second edition<br />
of the tournament will be held<br />
in the first week of next month at<br />
Savar Golf Club. •<br />
Chief guest Kazi Nabil Ahmed, MP (CR) poses alongside the winners and special guests of the First Paragon Professional Golf<br />
Tournament at Kurmitola Golf Club yesterday<br />
MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU<br />
Chittagong Rear Admiral M Shaheen Iqbal (C) inaugurates the inter-forces<br />
basketball tournament in the port city yesterday<br />
ISPR<br />
Rooney returns to captain England<br />
• Reuters<br />
Striker Wayne Rooney will return<br />
to England’s starting line-up as captain<br />
for today’s World Cup qualifier<br />
against Scotland as his experience in<br />
the tense encounter will be vital for<br />
the young squad, interim manager<br />
Gareth Southgate said.<br />
Rooney was dropped from the<br />
starting team for England’s lacklustre<br />
Group F qualifier draw with<br />
Slovenia last month and has been<br />
largely used as a substitute by Manchester<br />
United manager Mourinho.<br />
“Yes, he is,” Southgate told<br />
reporters yesterday when asked<br />
if Rooney will captain the side<br />
against Scotland.<br />
The 31-year-old Rooney recently<br />
broke his <strong>11</strong>-game lean spell for<br />
United when he scored in the 2-1<br />
Europa League defeat by Turkish<br />
side Fenerbahce last week. He subsequently<br />
returned to the club’s<br />
Premier League starting line-up in<br />
Sunday’s win over Swansea City.<br />
“(Rooney) is in a better place<br />
than he was (before) ... in terms of<br />
his sharpness. There was no hesitation<br />
from me in selecting him,”<br />
Southgate added.<br />
“He’s playing well for Manchester<br />
United, I think he’s a player who<br />
(needs to) get into a rhythm.<br />
“Wayne uses his experience<br />
very well, especially for the younger<br />
lads. He’s a big part in trying to<br />
get the victory.” Southgate has two<br />
more games to convince the Football<br />
Association that he is the right<br />
man for the job.•
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