Date:26/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/26/stories/2008112660441900.htm

Sport - Cricket

Nafees takes Bangladesh XI to victory over India XI

Principal Correspondent

Third ICL fifty for Nafees
Skipper Sathish plays a fine innings

AHMEDABAD: Powered by the belligerence of opener Shahriar Nafees’s third ICL fifty (70 not out, 54b, 4x4, 4x6), Bangladesh XI coasted to an emphatic, five-wicket win over defending champion India XI in the ICL World Series cricket championship at the Sardar Patel Stadium (Navrangpura) here on Tuesday night.

Setting the tempo

Nafees set the tempo square-cutting medium-pacer Rakesh Patel for a six and Bangladesh was never out of the game despite losing opener Nadimuddin (2) cheaply.

After Aftab Ahmed (26, 5x4) dazzled briefly, it was the turn of the Nafees-Alok Kapali combine to toy with the hapless bowling attack. Kapali was in a hurry hitting four sixes, two of them off left-arm spinner Indrasekhar Reddy.

However, the bowler had the last laugh when Ali Murtaza took a smart catch at mid-wicket fence running to his left to see the back of Kapali (44, 23b, 2x4, 4x6). But, by then he had done his job.

Clearly, the India XI bowling was clueless in the face of the clean hitting by Nafees.

There was some drama when Ambati Rayudu dropped Nafees at long-off but grabbed a chance to send back Golam Mabud off the next ball in the 19th over by Jesuraj in which he conceded only six runs.

Man-of-the Match

With 11 needed off the last over from Murtaza, Nafees whipped the first one to the mid-wicket fence, hit a six over long-off and then hit the winning run to collect the Man-of-the-Match award of Rs. 2 lakh.

Earlier, put in to bat, captain R. Sathish (44, 20b, 2x4, 4x6) helped India XI post 164 for nine in 20 overs after his team was struggling at 107 for five in 15 overs.

The big-hitting, right-hander picked left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain for special attention. The bowler’s figures then read 3-0-27-3. Sathish hit him for three huge sixes in what was the 18th over of the innings.

The importance of Sathish’s knock can be gauged from the fact the top-order failed to click. Ibrahim Khaleel (27, 22b, 3x4, 1x6), Ambati Rayudu (22, 22b, 2x4), Hemang Badani (12) and Stuart Binny (27, 17b, 2x6) failed to build on good starts.

The scores: ICL India XI 164 for nine in 20 overs (R. Sathish 44, Mosharraf Hossain three for 48, Tapash Baisya two for 33) lost to ICL Bangladesh 165 for five in 19.3 overs (Shahriar Nafees 70 not out, Alok Kapali 44).