Shaheed Jewel XI wins Victory Day cricket match

Chattogram, 16 Dec  - Imrul Kayes hit a 48 ball-58 as Shaheed Jewel XI beat Shaheed Mushtaque XI by four wickets in an exhibition match to mark the Victory Day at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.

Being sent to bat first, Shaheed Mushtaque XI was bowled out for 123 in 19.4 overs with Akbar Ali making the highest 35 and captain Soumya Sarkar adding 22.

Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Arafat Sunny and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury claimed three wickets apiece to wreck havoc.

Shaheed Jewel XI reached the victory mark, with 127-6 in 20 overs. Apart from Kayes's 58, only other batter Ziaur Rahman reached the double digit figure and that was enough for Jewel XI to seal the deal.

Ziaur played a vital role in the victory with an unbeaten 36 off 21, hitting three fours and two sixes.

The traditional cricket match was first organized in 1972 in memory of the Liberation War martyrs Shaheed Abdul Halim Chowdhury Jewel and Shaheed Mushtaque Ahmed.

Shaheed Jewel was an attacking right-handed opening batsman for Azad Boys Club and he was one of the first active cricketers of erstwhile East Pakistan to take up arms and join the fight for freedom. After a heroic nine months on the battlefields he was captured by the Pakistani army towards the end of the war and was killed days before Bangladesh became independent.

On the other hand, a devout cricket organiser Shaheed Mushtaque was an inspirational official of Azad Boys Club. On the blood-splattered night of March 25, 1971 Mushtaque was shot dead by the occupation force near his beloved club, which was at that time situated at Dhaka's Gulistan.

Shaheed Jewel XI: Mohammad Mithun, Nasum Ahmed, Nahidul Islam, Ziaur Rahman, Afif Hossain, Munim Shahriar, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Naeem Islam, Naim Sheikh, Nasir Hossain, Alauddin Babu, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Arafat Sunny, Rishad Hossain.

Shaheed Mushtaque XI: Aminul Islam Biplob, Sunzamul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Saifuddin, Akbar Ali, Rakibul Hasan, Saikat Ali, Fazle Mahmud, Shahadat Hossain, Shamim Patwari, Tanzid Hasan, Ashik Ur Zaman, Ripon Mondal, Nayeem Hasan.