Not impossible to score 15 runs per over in Dhaka : Misbah

Jannatul Naym Pieal

Rangpur Riders batsman Misbah-ul-Haq, who played a match-winning knock of 61 off 39 balls to steer his team to victory against Chittagong Vikings in the tournament opener, said they had the belief in them that on a Dhaka wicket, picking 15 runs each over is very much possible in the last five overs of the
innings.

Chasing a huge target of 188, Rangpur were in trouble with losing 4 wickets for just 23 runs. But Misbah, the Pakistan Test skipper, held firm at one end and stitched crucial partnerships with Mohammad Al Amin and Thisara Perera to bring up a nerve wracking victory for his team.

Rangpur needed 91 runs from the last five overs with having just five wickets in hand, four of which were of tail enders. But Misbah, the Man of the Match, said they never lost hope and were always in the game.

“We had some hard hitters in the end. There was Perera batting with me and Sammy was also to come next. So we always had the belief that even if we need 80 runs from last 5 overs, we will be able to win. Given the nature of the Dhaka wicket, I knew scoring 15 or more per over shouldn’t be much of a problem. And that’s exactly what we were able to prove in the match.” said Misbah.

Misbah also claimed that it is always a very hard job to defend a total at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. “No total is a safe total at this ground. I have played two Asia Cups here. I know if the batsmen find rhythm, they become unstoppable and it becomes very tough to restrict them. The wicket is fantastic, boundary fence is also not too far. Anything can happen here.”

Source: bdcricteam