Brothers Union to face Chittagong Tigers in Bashudhara Cup final

Sharjah: Brothers Union Club will take on Chittagong Tigers in the final of the PCL T20 Bashudhara Cup.

In the semifinal, Brothers Union Club defeated Pirates of Chittagong by seven wickets, while Chittagong Tigers trounced Bengal Tigers from India by 117 runs.

"It was fantastic to see such a huge crowd after a long time at this venue. It reveals that the tournament had a huge following in the UAE," said Mazhar Khan, the secretary of the Sharjah Cricket Council to Gulf News.

Pirates, batting first, scored an impressive 179 for 8 in 20 overs. Rased Hanif top scored with 41 off 27 balls with two sixes and four fours. Yasir Hamid too hit 25 runs off 18 balls with two fours and two sixes. Alok Kapali and Annisar hit 24 runs each.

For Brothers, Abdur Razzak took two wickets for 39.

Chasing the target, Brothers' batsmen went about the task in a professional manner. Imran Nazir set the stage for the chase through an elegant 87 off 41 balls.

Imrul Kayes and Jaharul Eslam guided the team to the target without being separated. Kayes hit an unbeaten 33 while Eslam scored an unconquered 31. Imran Nazir was rightly judged man of the match.

In the second match, Tamim Iqbal of Chittagong hit a quick 55 off 34 balls with four sixes and five boundaries to provide a great start. Lou Vincent hit 34 runs with three sixes and Shamsu Rahman scored 32 off 24 balls. Khurram Manzoor chipped in with 30 runs in just 18 balls.

Bengal Tigers' batting crashed against the Chittagong's bowlers who maintained a good line and length. The only batsman to withstand the tight attack was Hemant Kumar, who hit 30 runs off 19 balls. Allaudin Babu, M. Raid and Enamul Haque took two wickets each. Iqbal bagged the man of the match for his fine half century.