Match Preview
When the Indian Cricket League’s season two was about to begin, every team was busy giving final touches and ironing out the minor flaws. Closed door meetings of the senior pros with the support staff were common in order to get the right balance and combination. The younger lot was thoroughly assessed and the roles were assigned. Now, over thirty days into the tournament and after travelling to three cities of India – the same procedure is again being applied. The captain, coaches and cricket managers are once again having ‘brainstorming sessions.’ However, the only difference is that, now the meetings are held to discuss about the permutations and combinations of other teams as the final leg in Ahmedabad will decide the semi-finalists. There cannot be a more riveting contest than Dhaka Warriors taking on Lahore Badshahs as the ICL caravan moves back to Gujrat. Seldom does one find so much interest in a cricket match involving teams from Bangladesh and Pakistan; but with a semi-final spot up for grabs. The two international teams from the neighbourhood will go all out not only to make it to the final four, but also record a morale victory of dominance. Number Crunch:
Dhaka Warriors’ captain Habibul Bashar had asserted that his team needed more time to settle and the veteran was correct in his judgment. The Warriors after four games were languishing in the eight position, but with the growing experience, they took a giant leap and continued their march to second place before being pushed down one place by Royal Bengal Tigers.
| TEAM | MP | W | L | T | NR | NRR | PTS | | Chennai Superstars | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +0.98 | 10 | | Hyderabad Heroes | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +0.70 | 10 | | Royal Bengal Tigers | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -0.01 | 10 | | Dhaka Warriors | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +0.49 | 8 | | Delhi Giants | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -0.84 | 8 | | Lahore Badshahs | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +0.52 | 6 |
As the graph suggests, Dhaka have 8 points from seven games and a win in their final match of the league stage will take their tally to 10 along with the leaders – The Superstars and Heroes. It’s a must win game for them as Lahore still have one more game to bounce back if they lose today.
Lahore Badshahs couldn’t have asked for a better venue than Ahmedabad as it was here that they registered first points after suffering defeats in the first two games. The support that they enjoy here should propel them to perform to their potential.
Men who matter:
Batting has been a major problem for the Badshahs. Only twice in tournament have they crossed the 140 mark. For the first time against Mumbai scorecard and more recently against Delhi in Gurgaon scorecard. To revive the batting performance, they will need the services of one the most consistent batsmen in the modern era – Mohammad Yousuf. The right-hander who was awarded the 2007 Wisden Cricketer of the year award will be making his debut against the Dhaka team. It will be a feeling of déjà vu to see Yousuf and skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq steering the team to a respectable total with some smart play in the middle-overs.
Saqlain Mushtaq tops the table for the Badshahs with 8 wickets from six games and once again the job of slowing down the run-rate will depend on him.
 | The Dhaka Warriors have found amazing bowling partnerships in Mohammad Rafique and Mosharraf Hossain. The duo has accounted for a whopping 22 wickets from 14 games. So, the attacking batting is complimented by the spinners who claim wickets at regular intervals and sometimes even as early as in the second over when Bashar throws the new ball to Rafiqe. The batting has seen a massive improvement from the first game in which they fritted away the advantage. A lot has been spoken and written about the prolific batting display by Alok Kapali. Shahriar Nafees has already scored two 50s and Nazimuddin has bagged two ‘Man of the Match awards.’
The team from Bangladesh has played some highly exciting cricket and it is vital that they continue their good form and momentum. The match against Badshahs will also test their mental character as they will be up against some revered former and current international stars. On the other hand, skipper Inzamam would know that a defeat against the Dhaka Warriors would be hard to fathom for the numerous fans back home.
|