Hridoy, Sukkur guide Najmul XI to win in President's Cup opener

A tremendous partnership for the sixth wicket between Towhid Hridoy and Irfan Shukkur and some sensational bowling by the seamers propelled the Najmul XI to victory over the Mahmudullah XI by four wickets in the opening match of the President's Cup at the Sher-E-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Chasing a below part score of 197, the Najmul XI faced a high-pace assault from Ebadot Hossain. He rattled the top order by picking up the wickets of Saif Hassan, Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim. 

Afif Hossain did not have a great day too as he was sent back by Mahmudullah on 4.  Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was off to a great start but was cleaned up by Rakibul Hasan, the left-arm orthodox spinner. His run-a-ball 28 was studded with three fours and a six.

When Shanto got dismissed, the Najmul XI till needed 118 to win with five wickets in hand. The Mahmudullah XI gave them a scare but a magnificent partnership of 105 between Hridoy and Shukkur ensured that they won pretty convincingly.

Hridoy played a beautiful knock of 52 off 67 before getting dismissed by Aminul Islam Biplob. But Irfan Shukkur, the wicketkeeper-batsman from Chattogram, remained unbeaten on 56 off 78 balls. He smashed six boundaries in the process. Najmul XI got there with 53 balls to spare.

Ebadot Hossain was the best bowler for the Mahmudullah XI, picking up three for 46.

Najmul Hossain Shanto, the skipper of the Najmul XI, won the toss and put the Mahmudullah XI to bat as competitive cricket returned in the country after 208 days. Before the start of the match, everyone observed a minute of silence in memory of those who died in Covid-19. The tournament was then inaugurated releasing balloons and pigeons.

The start was not as good as the Mahmudullah-led side would have liked. Opener Naim Sheikh went back to the pavilion after being run-out by Rishad Hossain. His opening partner Liton Das couldn't do well either as Taskin Ahmed got rid of him shortly after.

The bowlers of the Najmul XI, especially the opening bowlers bowled with a lot of pace and aggression and at one stage left the batting side reeling at 21 for three. Taskin's bowling partner Al-Amin Hossain cleaned up Mominul Haque, who came in at three, for a duck.

A rebuilding needed to be done and skipper Mahmudullah and Imrul Kayes did so by putting on 73 off 88 for the fourth wicket. 

Imrul did the bulk of the scoring in the partnership as he scored a well-made 40 off 50 balls before Nayeem Hasan sent him back. The southpaw struck three boundaries and a six in the process.

Nurul Hasan and Sabbir Rahman stitched a couple of useful partnerships with Mahmudullah. Sabbir Rahman made a blistering start but fell soon after scoring a quickfire 22 off 25 balls.

Mahmudullah was dismissed by fast bowler Mukidul Islam Mugdho after the former reached fifty. The right-handed batsman scored 51 off 82 balls. His innings was studded with three fours and a six.

Handy knocks from Abu Hider and Rakibul Hasan down the order pushed the Mahmudullah XI to 196. They were all-out with 15 balls left. 

Taskin Ahmed was the pick of the Najmul XI bowlers. The right-arm fast bowler returned with two for 37 in his ten overs. Al-Amin Hossain and Mukidul Islam Mugdho also picked up two apiece. Off-spinner Nayeem Hasan and part-timer Soumya Sarkar chipped in with one each.

The President's cup, despite not being a regular or a List A tournament is an important one as it marks the return of domestic cricket in Bangladesh after almost eight months. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has done what it takes to make the tournament an attractive one. The top two teams will qualify for the final which will be held on October 23.

Brief Scores: Mahmudullah XI 196 (Mahmudullah 51, Imrul 40, Sabbir 22, Taskin 2/37, Al-Amin 2/40, Mugdho 2/44) 
Najmul XI 197/6 (Irfan Shukkur 56*, Hridoy 52, Shanto 28, Ebadot 3/46, Mahmudullah 1/27, Biplob 1/31)