Tamim XI were struggling at 154 for eight in 40.3 overs against Najmul XI in the third match of the BCB President’s Cup at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today before rain halted play.
It was yet another poor batting display from Tamim XI, who were bundled out for 103 in their previous encounter against Mahmudullah XI. A 45-ball 33 from skipper Tamim Iqbal remained the highest score for his side. Mahadi Hasan remained unbeaten for a 23-ball 30 before rain intervened.
While fast bowlers shone in the first two games, it was young spinner Nayeem Hasan who stood apart from everyone for his excellent bowling display. Nayeem, playing for Najmul XI, took two wickets giving away just 28 runs in his 10-over spell that involved four maidens.
All eyes were on the batsmen today, especially after the first two matches were low scoring encounters. And although the pitch behaved considerably better than the first two games with balls coming easily on bat, it was the batsmen who were to be blamed for throwing their wickets away.
Can batsmen shine today?
All eyes will be on batsmen today as Tamim XI walk out to the ground after being asked to bat by Najmul XI in the third match of the BCB President’s Cup at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
The previous two matches saw batsmen struggling facing charged up pacers. Only three fifties were registered in the tournament so far — from Towhid Hridoy and Irfan Sukkur in their bid to help Najmul XI win the opener against Mahmudullah XI while another was an unconvincing 82-ball 51 from Mahmudullah Riyad in the same game. None of the big names — Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das or Soumya Sarkar — could live up to their reputation as they seemed to be struggling to find rhythm coming to bat following a long seven-month halt from cricket due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tamim XI, who were bundled out for just 103 in just 23.1 overs in a curtailed over game (47-overs-a-side) in their previous encounter against Mahmdullah XI, will be looking to get their first win of the tournament. Meanwhile, Nazmul XI, a fairly young side, will be looking to retain their top spot in the points table after having won the opener by four wickets.
