Abahani Limited players celebrate with the trophy after defeating Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in their Dhaka Premier League Super League last match at the BKSP on Tuesday.— BCB photo
Soumya Sarkar became the first Bangladeshi player to hit a double hundred in List-A cricket and help Abahani Limited earn their 20th Dhaka Premier League title by beating Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by nine wickets at BKSP on Tuesday.
Soumya went ballistic against the Sheikh Jamal bowlers, hitting an astounding unbeaten 208 off just 153 deliveries that was well supported by Jahurul Islam (100), who brought up his third century of the season, to propel Abahani to 319-1 in 47.2 overs.
Earlier, Sheikh Jamal’s Tanbir Hayder struck an unbeaten 132 to take his side to 317-9 in their stipulated overs but his efforts went in vain thanks to Soumya’s belligerence with the bat.
Abahani went into the final day on poll position, with 24 points off 15 matches and Legends of Rupganj breathing down their necks with same points but slightly behind in net run-rate.
Abahani needed to win their final match to retain the title and in the end they achieved their goal in dominant manner.
Jamal opted to bat first at the BKSP, which has produced big totals throughout this DPL, but failed to cash in the batting friendly conditions, losing half their side inside 17 overs with only 85 runs on the board.
Tanbir, who is mainly known for his leg-spin bowling, showed his battings chops with 91 and 98-run stands with Elias Sunny (45) and Mehhrab Hossain (44) respectively to set up a challenging target for Abahani.
For Abahani, Mashrafee bin Murtaza was the pick of their bowlers, who finished with 4-56.
Abahani, however, made the steep run-chase look ordinary, thanks to Soumya and Jahurul’s assured batting from the beginning.
Soumya, who was fresh off scoring 106 against Rupganj in their last match, carried on his form and reached his fifty off 52 balls with four fours and four sixes.
Soumya then pressed on the accelerator, as he doubled his scoring rate to score another 100 runs in the next 52 balls he faced, to reach 150 off 104 balls in the 31st over.
Jahurul joined his opening partner in the three-figure mark in the 45th over, reaching the milestone off 127 deliveries.
In the next over, Soumya hit the 14th four of his innings in addition to his 16 sixes, highest number of sixes in all fifty-over competition in Bangladesh – surpassing Australia’s Shane Watson’s 15 sixes in an ODI against Bangladesh in 2011, to reach the 200-run mark.
Sheikh Jamal got their lone success of the match three balls later in the same over when Imtiaz Hossain dismissed Jahurul to finally end the opening stand for 312, the highest and only 300 plus partnership in country’s List A cricket.
The previous best was Mahbubul Karim and Dhiman Ghosh’s 290-run third wicket stand for Chattogram division in 2007.
New to the crease Sabbir Rahman didn’t have to trouble the scorers as Soumya struck a six of the first ball of the 48th over from Taijul Islam, his seventh six of the same bowler, to complete the run chase in style and provide Abahani their successive league titles.
Brief Scores
Sheikh Jamal DC 317-9 in 50 overs (Tanbir 132 not out; Mashrafee 4-56) v Abahani Ltd 319-1 in 47.1 overs (Soumya 208 not out, Jahurul 100; Imtiaz 1-10)
Result: Abahani Ltd won by 9 wickets
Source: New Age.