Bangabandhu T-20 Cup: Khulna, Chattogram eye championship

Gemcon Khulna and Gazi Group Chattogram are all set to lock horns in the final of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup which will take place on Friday at 4:30pm at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

These two teams ended the league-phase of the event with the highest points and run-rate. While Chattogram achieved 14 points from seven wins in eight games, Khulna gained eight points from four wins.

Chattogram lost Qualifier 1 against Khulna, but they made it to the final beating Beximco Dhaka in Qualifier 2.

Before taking the field in the final, both teams have revealed their desire to lift the trophy.

Chattogram coach Mohammad Salahuddin said Khulna have some experienced players which will be a big advantage for them but he said he believes youngsters in his team have the ability to turn the tables.

“We’ve a talented bunch of young players with some experienced guys. I believed they have the ability to deliver something expected in the final. Most of the players in our team didn’t play many finals in their lives. And at the same time, there will be no spectators in the gallery which is a relief for them because they are not used to much pressure,” he told the media Thursday during a practice session at Mirpur.

“It’s not important to think about what you’ve done in the last 10 games. It’ll not help us in the final. It (success in the final) depends on the performance we would show in the final and decisions we would take,” he added.

Chattogram was heavily reliant on Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam. Liton led them with the bat scoring 370 runs in nine games. He is also the highest runs getter in the event so far. Soumya also did well, scoring 280 runs in 10 games with an average of 31.11.

Left-arm pacer Mustafizur bagged 21 wickets in nine games for them while Shoriful scalped 14.

Khulna banks on new blood

Khulna captain Mahmudullah Riyad also expressed his ambition to win the title with the squad that has a good mixture of young and experienced players. “We’ve a good tournament so far. We played a good brand of cricket, especially, I'm fascinated with the performance of players who were members of the World Cup-winning Bangladesh team,” Mahmudullah told the media on Thursday.

Mahmudullah said the inclusion of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has increased experience in their team.

“He played many finals and won four titles of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). So, it’s great to have him in the squad. I always talk to Mashrafe so that I can get ideas from him to do well in the field. We’re lucky that he’ll feature for us in the final,” he added.

Khulna, however, will miss the service of Shakib Al Hasan. The veteran allrounder left the team due to a family emergency.

“Shakib could play a vital role in the final. We all know what he can do in the field. Since he’s not available in the final, we should take the responsibilities to do well,” Khulna captain told the media.

Each member of the champion team will receive Tk 150,000 while each member of the runners-up team will get Tk 75,000.

The best batsman and the best bowler of the event will receive Tk 200,000 each while the player of the tournament and man of the final will get Tk 300,000 and 100,000 respectively, and there will be special performance award for four players who each will receive Tk 100,000.

Source: UNB

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