Skipper credits bowlers for semi triumph over India

Bangladesh Under-19 captain Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby thanked his bowlers for putting in a match-winning effort in their semifinal win over defending champions India in the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup in the UAE on Friday.

2019 runners-up Bangladesh beat eight-time champions India by four wickets, courtesy of left-arm pacer Maruf Mridha’s four wickets — which helped them bundle out India for 188 — and batter Ariful Islam’s 90-ball 94-run knock laced with nine fours and four sixes.

They will face hosts UAE in the final on Sunday.

“The bowlers bowled really well. I would like to thank my bowlers,” Rabby said in the post-match interview.

The pace quartet of Mridha, Iqbal Hossain Emon, Rohanat Doullah Borson and Chowdhury Mohammad Rizwan bowled tight lines and lengths and made use of the new ball to tighten the screws on India.

The pacers bowled the first 18 overs of the innings and manufactured India’s slump to 69 for six after sending the reigning champions to bat first on conditions that had swing on offer early on.

Mridha, in particular, shone as he picked up four wickets for 41 runs, removing three of India’s top four with the new ball.

Fifties from India’s Musheer Khan (50) and Murugan Abishek (62) kept India alive in the contest, taking their total to 188.

Bangladesh’s reply got off to a rocky start as they lost their top three, including their top scorer in the tournament Ashiqur Rahman Shibli, within the first powerplay with 34 runs on the board.

But Ariful and Ahrar Amin put together a 138-run stand for the fourth wicket to take Bangladesh on the brink of victory, with the latter scoring a steady 101-ball 44 before being dismissed with the side just two runs away from victory.

Sheikh Parvez Jibon (three) scored the winning run, with the skipper at the other end unbeaten on two.

In the day’s other semifinal, hosts UAE beat Group A champions Pakistan by 11 runs to advance to the final.