Yusuf Pathan wins first match in Dhaka Premier League with a blistering 60
Jun 3, 2016 at 12:14 PM
After a decent outing in the recently concluded Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Yusuf Pathan made his debut in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) One-Day tournament with a match-winning knock despite arriving late for the match after being stuck in traffic.
It was as usual business for Pathan as he notched a “blistering 60” (47 balls, 7×4, 2×6) to guide Abahani Limited to a 5-wicket against Prime Bank Cricket Club at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP-3) ground on Wednesday. Pathan’s big knock powered his new team to chase down 241 in 44.3 overs.
Ironically the Indian hard-hitter’s debut almost didn’t happen because of Bangladesh’s traffic woes. Pathan arrived 41 minutes late after the match had started. However, he was allowed to play. He was stuck on Dhaka-Savar highway. “I was looking forward to playing these two matches before Ramadan. The team has won (yesterday) and this will work as an advantage as they move forward in the competition. I am happy that I have performed and added around 60 runs to the board,” Pathan was quoted as saying in a report.
“The wicket is different. Back home we have something else, there the fast bowlers take charge at the beginning but here the spinners start with the new ball. It felt that teams here play according to the merit of the wicket. The experience has been new for me,” he further. This was Abahani’s 3rd straight win in the league. The team is captained by Tamim Iqbal. Shakib Al Hasan also plays for Abahani.
The explosive batsman from Baroda scored 361 runs in 15 matches at an average of 72.20 and a strike rate of 145.56 in this year’s IPL.
While we saw some brilliant performances from KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir and all-rounder Andre Russell, it was Yusuf Pathan who won the hearts for shouldering the burden of an underperforming middle-order. Pathan, who is known to be a maverick for his batting, displayed great responsibility this season and rescued the team from several difficult situations.
The most amazing aspect of his performance was the fact that he did all this without compromising any of the aggressive instincts that he is known for.
After being overlooked by selectors for the Zimbabwe tour, Yusuf chose to take his talent to the Dhaka Premier League (DPL), which is Bangladesh’s domestic 50-overs tournament.
DPL also features the likes of Manoj Tiwary, Manvinder Bisla, Jalaj Saxena, Ashok Menaria and Rajat Bhatia.