That’s all from this one-sided contest, folks! For now, it’s me, Deepak Prakash, signing off on behalf of co-commentator Dev Rajawat and scorer/analyst Dushyant Madhukar Kumar. CHEERS!
Mohammad Mithun (Dhaka Capitals Captain): "In the last few games, we just needed to cross the line, so today felt like a complete performance for us — as a bowling unit and as a batting unit. We were fantastic. The toss was very important, especially in a day game because the ball holds a bit, and luckily we won it. The bowlers hit the right areas and executed their plans well. I know him (Nasir) very well and he’s very good against spin, so I always wanted him to bat at number three. I finally got the opportunity to send him in there today. We still need to improve in a few areas, especially our fielding and death bowling, and we will work on that. Hopefully, next year we will come back much stronger."
Nasir Hossain (POTM): "I love batting at number three, as that’s where I bat in T20s, so I really enjoyed it. I think the wicket will get much better to bat on at night because there will be dew."
Player of the Match: Nasir Hossain
Time for the post-match presentation......
Haider Ali (Noakhali Express Captain): "We lost wickets early and failed to capitalise on the powerplay, which is why we couldn’t post a good total. There was some spongy bounce, and our batters failed to adapt to the conditions. We need to back our team and focus on the next games."
3:47 PM IST, 4:17 PM Local Time: Dhaka Capitals made light work of the paltry total, chasing down 134 by seven wickets with 35 balls to spare to register their second win of the season and keep their hopes alive. Meanwhile, Noakhali Express’ misery continues as they slump to five defeats on the trot and are yet to taste a victory.
Earlier, Dhaka Capitals produced a dominant bowling display after choosing to field, keeping Noakhali Express under constant pressure and restricting them to 133/6. A devastating Powerplay from Taskin Ahmed and Imad Wasim left Noakhali struggling at 19/3, and although Maaz Sadaqat tried to lift the tempo briefly, wickets kept falling, leaving the Express in deep trouble at 40/5. Mohammad Nabi (42*) and Haider Ali (47) then put together a steady 50-run partnership to give the innings some respectability, with Haider accelerating in the death overs to push the total past 130. In reply, Dhaka Capitals lost both openers — Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0) and Abdullah Al Mamun (1) — in a jiffy, with Hasan Mahmud claiming both wickets. However, Nasir Hossain came out all guns blazing and hammered the bowlers to all corners of the park in the powerplay. He brought up his fifty in just 21 balls — the fastest of the BPL this season — and provided a rollicking start for his side. Nasir added 59 runs for the third wicket with Irfan Sukkur, though Sukkur contributed only 12.
Nasir eased off after the powerplay and focused on rotating the strike alongside Imad Wasim. The duo added an unbeaten 61-run stand for the fourth wicket to seal the game with 35 balls to spare. Nasir remained unbeaten on a scintillating 90 off 50 balls, while Imad contributed 29* off 16.
After Hasan Mahmud (2/17), Zahir Khan (1/32) was the only other bowler to taste success for the Noakhali Express.