On the day Rangpur Riders secured their place in the Global Super League final, Nurul Hasan Sohan and Soumya Sarkar shone with the bat.
After going wicketless in two consecutive matches, Shakib Al Hasan finally picked up a wicket with a tight bowling spell. However, he once again failed to reach double digits with the bat. It was Soumya, Sohan, and Saif Hasan from the opposition who stole the show against Shakib’s team.
Led by Nurul Hasan Sohan, Rangpur Riders became the first team to book a spot in the final after defeating Shakib’s Dubai Capitals by 8 runs in Guyana on Wednesday. Defending a total of 158, they bowled out the opposition for 150, making it three wins in a row in the group stage for the Bangladeshi side.
For Dubai Capitals, it was an exit after three straight losses following their opening win.
Shakib, who starred with an unbeaten 58 and four wickets in the first game, faded alongside his team in the next three.
Against Hobart Hurricanes and Guyana Amazon Warriors, Shakib scored just 7 and 4 runs and went wicketless.
Versus Rangpur, he bowled a tidy spell of 4 overs for 16 runs with one wicket but managed only 3 runs off 7 balls with the bat.
In his last 10 T20 matches, Shakib has failed to reach double digits in seven innings, with scores of 35 and 58 in the other two, and didn’t get to bat in one game. With the ball, he has taken 6 wickets in those 10 matches, going wicketless in seven of them.
His wait for the 500 T20 wicket milestone (he remains at 497) continues.
At Providence Stadium, Soumya smashed a six off Shakib but fell in the same over, scoring 36 off 28 with four sixes.
Batting at number seven, Sohan took Rangpur past 150 with two sixes off the last two balls. He remained unbeaten on 34 off 18, hitting 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Partnering with Sohan in an unbroken 54-run stand for the sixth wicket, Pakistan’s Iftikhar Ahmed stayed unbeaten on 41 off 32 balls.
Chasing 158, Dubai’s Afghan opener Sediqullah Atal top-scored with 38 off 31, but no other batter crossed 30.
Saif Hasan, who didn’t get a chance to bat, made his impact with the ball, claiming career-best figures of 3 for 20 in 3 overs — including the wicket of Shakib, who was stumped.
Syed Khaled Ahmed, who claimed 4 wickets in each of the last two matches and won back-to-back Player of the Match awards, took 2 for 14 in 3.2 overs this time.
With 28 needed off the last 12 balls, Afghan spinner Qais Ahmad gave Dubai hope by hitting two sixes and a four off Azmatullah Omarzai in the penultimate over, but he fell in the same over.
Pacer Khaled sealed the victory by dismissing Dominic Drakes with the second ball of the final over.
Rangpur Riders still have one group-stage match remaining.
