'World class' Miraz makes instant impact in CPL

Mehedi Hasan Miraj made a dream start to his Caribbean Premier League career, taking three wickets as Guyana Amazon Warriors beat St Lucia Kings by four wickets in Providence today.

Making his CPL debut after joining Guyana as a replacement for Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, Miraj produced an impressive spell of 3-13 from four overs. His performance, alongside captain Imran Tahir's five-wicket haul, helped dismiss St Lucia for just 119 in 18.5 overs.

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Miraj struck with his first over, dismissing John Campbell with the final delivery of the seventh over. Campbell attempted to hit a flighted delivery over long-off but found the fielder.

The Bangladesh all-rounder returned in his third over to remove Kemol Savory and Charith Asalanka. Savory was trapped lbw while Asalanka was caught behind by wicketkeeper Shai Hope.

Tahir then completed the demolition with figures of 5-17 from four overs. Kamil Pooran's 43 off 35 balls and Obed McCoy's 35 off 28 were the only substantial contributions for the Kings.

Chasing 120, Guyana also encountered some difficulty, losing six wickets before reaching the target in 18.3 overs. Glenn Phillips and Quinton de Kock's replacement, Quinton Sampson, both scored 37 to guide the hosts home.

Miraj, batting at No. 5, made just one before being dismissed.

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Guyana had already been sitting at the top of the standings and moved to 14 points from eight matches with the victory.

Tahir, who was named player of the match, praised Miraj for filling the void left by Nabi.

“We had Nabi, a very high-quality bowler and our best bowler,” Tahir said. “Miraj came in and bowled really well, exactly as we expected. It is really great to have him. Miraj is a world-class bowler who has been performing at international level all over the world.”