Former plate runners-up of the Corporate Cricket League (CCL) Beximco Group clinched the GrameenPhone CCL 2005-06 title defeating Epyllion Group by 50 runs in the final at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium Thursday, reports BDNEWS. Beximco, batting first, piled up a sound score of 276 for nine Epyllion Group, in reply, were all out for 226 in 44.1 overs. Kenyan batsman Steve Tikolo hit a sparkling 53 off 57 balls with five boundaries for the country's largest business house. He added 44 runs in eight overs with Al Shahriar in the third wicket stand. Al Shahriar contributed 40 runs off 48 balls with five boundaries. Skipper Akram Khan played an important short innings of 31 off 29 balls with two boundaries and a six. Earlier, opener Rajin Saleh missed a half-century just for one run facing 66 balls that included seven cheerful boundaries. He scored 41 runs in the opening partnership with Rashidul Haque (12 off 28 balls) and 48 runs in the second wicket stand with Al Shahriar. Epyllion Pakistani bowler Yasir Arafat who played an important innings for his team later of 46 off 47 balls with four boundaries and a six grabbed three wickets for 48 runs. Shahadat Hossain and Epyllion skipper bagged two wickets each for 47 and 24 runs respectively. Sabbir Khan took one wicket for 50 runs. Replying the Beximco total, Epyllion made a solid start when their two openers super-sub Sajjadur and Shahriar Nafees scored 68 runs in 12.4 overs. But one change bowler Steve Tikolo picked Shahriar Nafees in the 12.4 over. Pacer Shahjada who became man of the match bagging five wickets for 39 runs dismissed one down batsman Moniruzzaman (11 off 14 balls) in the 17.2 over. Sajjad scored 40 off 74 balls with four boundaries while Shahriar Nafees scored 33 runs off 40 balls with three boundaries and a six. They lose their first four wickets within 132 runs in 29.4 overs. After that skipper Tushar Imran and Pakistani batsman Yasir Arafat added valuable 66 runs in 9.3 overs. Tushar Imran hammered the highest 60 off 56 balls with four boundaries and a six. Nazmul Hossain, Abdur Razzak Raj and super-sub Nadif Chowdhury took one wicket each for the champions. State Minister for Youth and Sports Fazlur Rahman distributed prizes among the winners as the chief guest. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Joint Secretary Rafiqul Islam Babu, vice chairman of the CCL committee Kabir Ahmed Bhuiyan, member secretary of the CCL committee MOhammad Ali Hossain and officials of the sponsors were also present on the occasion.
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