Dhaka Warriors thrash Chandigarh Lions by eight wickets

Chasing a modest target of 138, Dhaka Warriors opener Shahriar Nafees played a brilliant 73 run knock to guide his team to an easy eight wicket win over Chandigarh Lions in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) match at the Tau devi Lal Stadium on Friday night.

The left handed 22-year-old batted with perfection and hit ten boundaries and a six in his match-winning knock that came of just 60 balls.

Nafees and his right-handed opening partner Nazimuddin were involved in a 53 run partnership for the Warriors before a brilliant catch in the deep by Amit Uniyal of the bowling of left arm slow Bipul Sharma brought Nazimmudin's (23)innings to an end.

Bipul had the Warriors in a spot of bother for a while as he struck again removing Aftab Ahmed (5). However, Nafees and Alok Kapali (32) batted with patience and achieved the target in the 18th over.

Earlier, put into bat first, the Lions playing before a thin home crowd started on a confident note, but soon started losing the plot. After Mohammed Sharif took the first Lions wicket sending TP Singh back to pavilion (1-25), they lost three more of their top order batsman in quick succession and were in deep trouble at one stage on 4-45 in the seventh over.

With the pitch favouring slow bowlers, Warriors slow left arm bowlers Mohammed Rafique (4-0-28-3) and Moshraff Hossain (4-0-17-2) were the pick of their side.

Hossain had Lions skipper Andrew Hall (29) bowled when the latter was looking well set, but Bipul Sharma (30) made useful contribution holding the forte till the end before being the ninth batsman to fall getting stump out of Rafique's bowling.

The Warriors have three wins from six matches they played while the Lions have won three from their five outings, with both still keeping themselves in the reckoning for a semi-final berth.

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