& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Rafique's raucous show

Abahani lift title with a dramatic five-wicket win over Gazi Tank

Sports Reporter
Mohammad Rafique rolled back the years to turn the Big Boss T20 Premier League final _j on its head in an exhilarating display of power hitting to seal a dramatic five-wicket final over victory for Abahani against a star-studded Gazi Rink at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.
After a subdued start. Rafique resorted to type in a stunning display of hitting just as Ahahani found themselves in a desperate situation, needing 42 runs off the final 18 deliveries.
The southpaw smashed three consecutive sixes preceded by a boundary in the 18th over bowled by left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak to swing the pendulum Abahani's way. He then took the attack to Gazi Tank captain Alok Kapali against whom he dealt the decisive blow- two massive sixes over mid-wicket and fine-leg leaving the equation to just four runs required from the final six balls.
The renowned big-hitter then sent the packed audience into delirium — smashing the first ball of the last over straight over mid off for another six. He finished with a half-century; his 50 not out coming off only 21 deliveries and bettering Tamim Iqbal's feat against Victoria as the fastest half-century in the tournament.
The ex-national player was typically straightforward in his assessment of his performance at the post-match presentation.
"1 like to hit fours and sixes,’ opined one of the biggest fan favourites of the country.
All in all, it was a finish with a flurry and a resounding end to the final of cricket’s latest innovation.
For records sake. Abahani won the final by five wickets after scoring 147-5 and overhauling the Gazi Tank target of 144-4 in their 20overs.
Gazi Tank's innings was built around Suhrawardi Shuvo's 38-ball 44 with five boundaries. Middle-order batsman Nayeem Islam chipped in with a valuable 31-ball 32. They built on the start provided by national discard Nazimuddin who scored 29 from 14 balls with three sixes and two fours.
Rafique cemented his man-of-the-match tag as he was also wrecker in chief of the Gazi Tank innings grabbing 2-23 from 3 overs.
Rafique was the hero of the big night. But in the end it was the game that made a triumphant return to domestic scene after a long time.
A stadium packed to the rafters, a top singer performing her famous numbers and cheergirls dancing to the beat of the DJ's music leant an altogether unfamiliar and glamorous air to the stadium in Mirpur. Add to that a riveting contest between two of the countries cricketing powerhouses and the crowd got the full value for their money under lights.
Scenes such as these were nonexistent for the last decade or so in the country's domestic cricket. Abahani may have had the last laugh in the game, but the real winner was the country's cricket, and sports in general.
Earlier in the day, Mohammedan earned scant consolation of becoming third in the tournament beating Khelaghar Samaj Kalyan Samity by a massive 74 runs. Batting first Mohammedan scored 144 for the loss of 9 wickets in their allotted 20 overs with modest contributions from most of their batsmen. Aftab Ahmed was the topscorer with 31, while tournament's top scorer Tamim Iqbal could manage only 12. In reply, Khelaghar never got going and lost wickets in almost every other over to finish 70 runs in their 20 overs losing all the wickets. Emon Ahmed took 4 wickets while Saqlain Sajib took 3 for 6 in four overs.
State Minister for Youth and Sports Ahad AJi Sarker distributed prizes among the winners after the final.