Rabiul Islam enough for SL DEV
The tourists had earlier taken the honours in the four-day matches easily but the Academy side made a triumphant return in the one-dayers.
Promising fast bowler Rabiul ripped through the tourists' middle-order during Academy's defence of a modest 198-9. The Lankans were bowled out in the 45th over when skipper Marshall Ayub ran out Thisara Perera (45). But it was yet another batting debacle which began in the four-day matches. The home side lost the first game inside three days by nine wickets and the second by a massive 246 runs.
According to Academy head coach Ruwan Kalpage, it was all down to the two sides' strength. "They (Sri Lanka Development) were a much experienced side than ours. Some of them play for the national team and six play for the A team. Actually they have only five development players," said Kalpage who also added that the Academy batsmen lack the ability to score hundreds.
"Half of our twenty-four players are either in the national team and playing for Bangladesh A so it was hard on the new boys. They came after performing in domestic cricket, so they need a lot of training and need to learn the longer-version better, especially scoring the hundreds," explained the former Sri Lankan international who echoed national selector Rafiqul Alam who also pointed out the lack of experience among the Academy players.
On Friday it was only a captain's knock that saved helped Academy get past even the hundred-mark after yet another batting collapse.
With four batsmen gone for 35 runs, Marshall added 69 for the fifth wicket with Farhad Hossain, who missed a half-century by four runs. After the Rajshahi batsman was removed, the right-handed Marshall added another 50-plus partnership with Nasir Hossain before falling for 56 off 76 balls. Nasir's late-order charge, 36 off 35 with five boundaries, almost took the home side past the 200-run mark.
Then Rabiul cut short Gihan Rupasinghe's madcap 48 off 32 balls in the 15th over before picking up Muthumudalige Pushpakumara (7), Ashan Priyanjan (1), Milinda Sirwardena (6) in one spell that spelled doom for the visitors. From a perilous six for 86, opener Kaushal Silva and Perera added 85 for the seventh wicket. The partnership threatened to be a match-winner but Silva, on 63, was caught behind off left-armer Saqlain Sajib. Rabiul returned to complete his five-for with the wicket of Ranesh Perera. Saqlain took two while Mukhtar Ali picked up one wicket.
"Rabiul is a prospective player but he will need a year to develop," said former national cricketer Rafiq.
Kalpage also had high praise for the Khulna paceman, who took six wickets against Abahani in a Premier League match earlier this year. "He needed a bit of a break after domestic cricket. The Sylhet matches were washed out so he got his break and came back strongly. I think he's improving every day and this experience was very good for him," said the former off-spinner.
BRIEF SCORES
GP-BCB ACADEMY: 198-9 in 50 overs (Farhad 46, Marshall 56, Nasir 36; Lakmal 3-32, Udana 3-38).
SL DEVELOPMENT: 185 all out in 44.5 overs (Silva 63, Rupasinghe 48, Perera 45; Rabiul 5-38, Saqlain 2-33).
Result: GP-BCB Academy won by 13 runs.
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