Dhaka ride on Mushy to win third on the trot

Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim once more took on the responsibility to get Beximco Dhaka out of trouble after another top-order failure and set up their third consecutive win of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup yesterday.

Dhaka managed to gun down high-flying Gazi Group Chattogram, handing them their first defeat, by seven runs, in the days' first game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Mushfiqur made full use of his experience after Dhaka's early stutter as Bangladesh's star wicketkeeper-batsman guided Dhaka to a total of 145 for five, scoring an unbeaten 50-ball 73, which featured seven fours and three sixes.

For the first time in the tournament, Chattogram felt pressure with the bat and could not quite cope with the climbing rate and a disciplined bowling unit, ending with 138 for nine in 20 overs.

But earlier, it was yet another disappointing performance from Dhaka's top-order batsmen as the team management opted for their fifth different opening pair in six games in the form of Naim Sheikh and Sabbir Rahman yesterday.

But as has been the case in the tournament till date, no combination seems sufficient as both openers departed inside the power play. Dhaka at one stage were struggling on 23 for three as Mushfiqur was joined by another form player in Yasir Ali to start the rebuilding job.

The best part of Mushfiqur's knock was the amount of pressure the experienced campaigner adsorbed as he expertly went about the task of not just stabilising the innings but also looking for runs and posting a fighting total.

And the 33-year-old proved once again why he is called "Mr Dependable", shouldering the responsibility and leading from the front as he added 86 runs for the fourth wicket with Yasir 12 overs. Yasir however departed for 34, which only made Mushfiqur's continued presence more important. He realised this and stayed till the end to ensure that his bowlers had a substantial total to defend.

His innings was a blend of aggression and stability, featuring improvised lap shots along with his favourite slog-sweeps.

He now has 211 runs in six games at an average of 52.75, and considering the burden he has to take on every time he goes to the crease, a strike rate of 115.3 is also impressive. He also finished the day as the second-highest run-getter behind Liton Das with 247 runs until yesterdays' second game, but the Dhaka team management would definitely want to correct things at the top and move away from relying heavily on Mushfiqur in every game.