All-round Riders halt Bulls' run

The Rangpur Riders put an end to Barisal Bulls's three-match winning streak by beating them by 12 runs at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.

The Riders, who were decimated by the Dhaka Dynamites in their last game, put in a fine performance against the odds and they have Mohammad Mithun, Liam Dawson, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Shahzad to thank for that.

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While Mithun scored a brilliant 44-ball 62 and Dawson and Afridi put in amazing all-round performances, Shahzad was extremely smart with his keeping.

The Afghan was involved in five dismissals yesterday and all those takes were quite difficult.

Having been set a target of 176, the Riders struck with the very first ball from Shohag Gazi, which was drifting down leg, got the edge of Dilshan Munaweera's bat and was well caught by Shahzad.

Two overs later, Gazi and Shahzad were at it again, this time to dismiss the highest run-getter of the tournament, Shahriar Nafees. Nafees attempted to slog Gazi and got his foot out of the crease in the process. Shahzad was quick to react.

But it was Shahzad's third dismissal that was perhaps the best of the lot. Dawson bowled one outside the off-stump which Mushfiqur Rahim tried to slog. In the process, Mushfiqur's leg had exited the crease by a few inches. That though was enough for the Afghanistan wicketkeeper, who whipped the bails in no time.

At 48 for three in seven overs, the Bulls were in trouble and that is when Nadif Chowdhury and Jeevan Mendis stepped up. The duo put on a quickfire 64 in 8.2 overs to bring the Bulls back into the game.

The duo initially just knocked the ball around for a few overs but with 88 required from 42 balls, Nadif decided to take charge.

With 88 runs required from 42 balls, he smacked Sachitra Senanayake for three sixes down the ground, each of which were bigger and higher than the previous hits, and brought the equation down to 64 from 36. Mendis joined in the fun and guided a full toss from Rubel Hossain in the next over for yet another six.

With 55 required from the last five overs, a worried Naeem Islam brought Afridi in. The Pakistan all-rounder delivered almost immediately and got Nadif caught in the deep off the second ball. In his next over, Afridi had Mendis caught behind with a quicker length ball.

Many reckoned that the game was over right there, but then Thisara Perera, who was dropped by Rubel in the fifth ball of that over, smacked Afridi for a six off the last ball.

29 off 12 balls and the tensions worsened when a full-toss from Rubel was sent out of the ground by Rayad Emrit. Rubel however came back well by getting two wickets in that over and leaking just three more runs.

That tilted the game towards the Riders with the Bulls needing 20 off the last over. They eventually managed to get just seven before losing three wickets and getting bowled out for 163.

Earlier, a brilliant half-century from Mithun led the Riders to a commendable 175. After the Riders slumped to 46 for two in five overs, they needed a partnership to revive themselves and that came in the form of a 78-run stand for the third wicket between Mithun and Liam Dawson.

While Mithun scored 62 off 44 balls, Liam finished with 46 off 36. Mithun hit six fours and two sixes.

His best shot of the game arrived in the sixth over when he merely flicked Kamrul Islam Rabbi for a huge six over square leg. It was pure timing and was brilliant to watch. He reached his 50 with an elegantly driven double through cover in the 11th over off 35 balls.

He was bowled in the 15th over by Thisara Perera while attempting to pull him for a boundary. His partner Dawson played the anchor and had hit just one four until the 13th over.

However, after Mithun's departure, he smacked Abu Hider for two fours in the 17th. And he was joined by Shahid Afridi, who hit a quick fire 22 off 10 balls.

The way he pulled Perera and Al-Amin Hossain for sixes through mid-wicket displayed just how much power the 36-year-old still possesses.