Mohammad Saifuddin was on hand to guide Abahani Limited out of trouble against a young OLD DOHS outfit in the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division T20 League match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today. Saifuddin’s contributions ensured a 22-run win for Abahani on a rainy day.
Despite having a formidable lineup with many national team players making up their ranks, Abahani batsmen never looked at home, losing wickets at regular intervals. Mohaiminul Khan removed both Najmul Hossain Shanto (11) and Mosaddek Hossain (8) and in-between those dismissals, Mushfiqur Rahim fell to Rakibul Hasan after scoring just 6 off 11 deliveries.
Afif Hossain and Saifuddin started the rebuilding phase, adding 61 runs for the sixth wicket. Afif struggled to put bad deliveries away and was dropped twice during an unbeaten 27 off 29 deliveries. Saifuddin on the other hand often looked to go too hard, but his ability to use the long handle proved decisive as he blazed a 19-ball 40 with two fours and three sixes in his knock before departing to the penultimate delivery of the innings as Abahani reached 135 for six in a rain-curtailed 19-overs-a-side match.
In reply, the relatively young outfit started cumbersomely but yet, openers Anisul Islam(20 off 27) and Rakin Ahmed managed to put up 53 runs for the opening stand thanks to unfortunate fielding from Abahani. Rakin struck three fours and a six during a 44-ball 43 and looked to make a close contest of it but Saifuddin during an economic spell, conceding 15 runs in four overs, also grabbed Rakin’s scalp to thwart a late fightback. OLD DOHS eventually managed 113 for three as Abahani won their second game of the ongoing league.