Shamsur Rahman celebrated his inclusion in the 15-member Bangladesh squad for the T20 World Cup in style, hitting a superb half-century for Ispahani Sports Club against

Pirates of Chittagong in

a Habib Group-PCL Twenty20 tournament march at the MA Aziz Stadium here yesterday.

Shamsur hammered 71 off 49 balls in an impressive Ispahani total of 175 runs, which was also the highest innings total so far in the glamorous T20 championship involving eight teams. Ishpahani then bowled the Pirates out for 125 to register a convincing 50-run win.

The 20-vear-old cricketer from Comilla was plundering the Pirates when chief selector Rafiqul Alam was announcing his name at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium for the England show-

piece event in June.

The selectors also picked Mohammad Mithun in the England-bound squad. The young batsman featured in the second match of the PCL for Chittagong Mohammedan against Brothers Union. But his way of celebration can be best described as bizarre in a match that Brothers not only won by 46 runs but also confirmed a high-hoping Mohammedans exit from the first round with two defeats in as many games.

Mithun scored only four but more importantly got out in a fashion that can be considered as a 'first.' in the brief history ofTwenty20 cricket

Mitun was first out caught off a 'no-ball' from paceman Dollar Mahmud. He then hit the next ball, a free hit, straight into the hands of a fielder. And as if that was not enough he struck the next legitimate delivery from Dollar straight to Nafees Iqbal to finally succumb.

However, Ispahani started on a solid footing after the day's first match started an hour behind schedule due to wet

outfield and displaced d^cor of galleries caused by heavy thunderstorms and overnight rain.

Shamsur and Fazle Rabbi gave Ispahani a perfect start when they raced to 53 in just 5.4 overs before PCL's second most valuable cricketer Sohrawardi Shuvo had Rabbi caught and bowled for 25.

But Rabbi's departure brought the best of Ispahani as Shamsur and Sri Lankan Jeevan Mendis produced 114 runs for the second wicket, the best so far in the tournament. Shamsur's innings was particularly worth mentioning on a day that brought double delight for him. His polished knock featured two huge sixes and eight exciting boundaries.

Mendis played an equally impressive innings of65offonly 48 balls. Hesmashed three sixes and four fours.

The Pirates innings never took off. Their much-vaunted batting line up perished in thin air with the first four wickets falling for 46 in seven over. They also lost their last four wickets in more

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doleful fashion. Only Shuvo stood in the ruins with an enter-taining29 off 24 balls.

In the day's second match, Brothers defeated Mohammedan in a low-scoring match thanks to a miserly bowling performance from left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who conceded only three runs in as many overs and took one wicket

Brother, who got one point in a rain-hit tied match against Abahani on Sunday, posted a not-so-impressive 136-9 in their share of 20 overs with TUshar Imran hitting highest 29.

Sri Lankan Jehan Mubarak contributed 24 runs and opener Mehrab Hossain made 20.

Chasing an easy target, Mohammedan, who lost the

opening match against Top Sports, made a mess of it once their opener Asharful Islam was out in the very first ball of the innings. Rasel Al Mamun scored 26 with four boundaries and the lone six of the match. But wickets never stopped falling like rain and they were eventually bundled out for 90 with two overs in hand.

Dollar Mahmud was adjudged man-of-the-match for taking three vital wickets conceding 26 runs.

SCORES IN BRIEF

ISPAHANI SC: 175 for 5 in 20 overs (Shamsur 71, Rabbi 25, Jeevan Mendis 65; Waqqas 2-32, Shuvo 3-23.

PIRATES OF CHITTAGONG: 125 all out in 19.4 overs

(Salahuddin 17, Naeem Islam 15, Waqqas 19, Shuvo 29; Monir Hossain3-18, Monir Dar2-ll).

Result: Ispahani won by 50 runs.

Man-of-the-match: Shamsur Rahman (Ispahani)

BROTHERSUNION: 136for9in 20 overs (Mehrab 20, Jehan Mubarak 24, Kapugedara 10, Hishar Imran 29, Rejaul Karim 14, Abdur Razzak 11. Tarek Aziz 3-29, Rasel Al Mamun 2/13, Nayyer Abbas 2 / 26).

MOHAMMEDAN SC: 90 all out in 18 overs (Rasel 26, Nayyer Abbas 16, Dollar Mahmud 3-26, Yunus 2-16, Shahjada 2-18).

Result: Brothers won by 46 runs.

Man-of-the-match: Dollar Mahmud (Brothers)