Afridi stars as Dhaka waltz into the BPL final
Dhaka Dynamites, banking on pure power hitting and a sensational trio of spin bowlers, reached the 2017 BPL final with a 95-run win over Comilla Victorians in the first qualifier in Mirpur
Dhaka Dynamites, banking on pure power hitting and a sensational trio of spin bowlers, reached the 2017 BPL final with a 95-run win over Comilla Victorians in the first qualifier in Mirpur
Commentator: Sreshth Shah
10.23 pm The presentation is also set to begin. First up, the losing captain Tamim Iqbal of Comilla. He says: "Credit goes to Dhaka, the way they batted. They kept on attacking and we didn't bowl well. A bad game, but I am not disappointed at all. Can't blame any bowlers or batsmen, because it's an off-loss. Our job is to try and find out what mistakes we did, and improve against Rangpur. One bad game doesn't make us a bad team. No one clicked today, but that's okay. I'm not one to blame my players. Will be interesting the way Chris Gayle batted today, but we're ready."
The wining captain Shakib Al Hasan of Dhaka. Says: "Played really well today. It's the best game we have played all season. Did well in all departments, we kept pressure on them and built partnerships. Bowlers chipped in and everyone played their part. That's the team we know. Our team has a lot of talent but everyone today was up for this game. They beat us twice in the league, so we wanted to win. Glad people put their hands up today. I've been bowling well at this moment and hope to do it in one more game."
Shahid Afridi is the Man of the Match. He says: "First, I want to congratulate our Dynamites fans, chairman and the board members. The thing is, Comilla are very good and one has to be good in all three departments to win... and today we were. I'm ready to bat in any position, with whatever the team demands. Shakib is good at rotating. When I was batting, I told my partner that anything above 160 would be a good score. As a team, we've played very well this season. Winning or losing is different, but reaching the final is commendable on our part.
10.18 pm Handshakes from both teams. Smiles still all around since Comilla aren't eliminated. First time the franchise has been all out for less than 100. First it was the Dhaka batsmen who combined to lift their team to a very competitive 191 after which it was death by spin for Comilla. Mosaddek, Afridi and Narine were excellent and together they ensured Dhaka find a spot in the final. A real all-round performance from the home side. One woud've thought that Comilla would make a match out of this game, but today nothing went right for them with the bat. They have another chance to redeem themselves: the second qualifier against Rangpur Riders await them.
Al-Amin Hossain c Lewis b Shahid Afridi 0 (8b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Dhaka Dynamites, banking on pure power hitting and a sensational trio of spin bowlers, reached the 2017 BPL final with a 95-run win over Comilla Victorians in the first qualifier in Mirpur
With neither team facing elimination and both featuring star-studded line-ups, the first qualifier between Dhaka Dynamites and Comilla Victorians is set to be a cracker