The Chittagong Vikings registered their second victory of the Bangladesh Premier League by defeating the Rajshahi Kings by 19 runs at Chittagong to move up to sixth place in the table.
Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi starred for the Vikings with both bat and ball as he scored a fiery 37-ball knock of 87 that comprised of six boundaries and as many sixes. He took one wicket for 24 runs in his allotted four overs and as a result of his performances, was adjudged the Man of the Match.
The Vikings were not off to a good start, having lost skipper Tamim Iqbal in only the second over. However, Dwayne Smith was beginning the set the tone for the Vikings before Abul Hasan shattered his middle stump to send him back for 34. The Rajshahi Kings soon began to assert their authority over the Vikings and courtesy of some crafty bowling by Samit Patel, the Vikings were tottering at 68 for four when Nabi came in to join Anamul Haque on the crease.
The duo put up a partnership of 105 for the fifth wicket and by the time Haque was dismissed for 50, the Vikings were set for a solid total. They eventually ended their innings at 190/5. For the Rajshahi Kings, barring Samit Patel, all the other bowlers were hit for aplenty by the likes of Smith, Nabi, and Anamul Haque.
In reply, the Kings got off to a good start with openers Mominul Haque and Junaid Siddique playing aggressively right from the start. Taskin Ahmed sent Haque back for a quick-fire 22 but then Sabbir Rahman came in and along with Junaid Siddique and later Umar Akmal, began to pulverise the Vikings’ bowling department.
Both Siddique and Akmal were dismissed for scores of 38 and 21 respectively, but it was Pakistan quickie Imran Khan who took the key wicket of Sabbir Rahman which was the turning point of the match. The middle order of the Kings collapsed like a house of cards thanks to Taskin Ahmed who went on to take five wickets for 31 runs in his four overs.
The Vikings eventually triumphed by 19 runs and now stand sixth on the table above the seventh-placed Rajshahi Kings. Both the Kings and the Vikings will now take on the Comilla Victorians on tomorrow and Monday respectively.
Brief Scores: Chittagong Vikings - 190/5 in 20 overs (Nabi - 87*, Anamul Haque - 50, Samit Patel - 21/2); Rajshahi Kings - 171/9 in 20 overs (Rahman - 46, Siddique - 38, Taskin Ahmed - 31/5)
Result: Chittagong Vikings win by 19 runs.
Rangpur Riders victorious as reigning champions Comilla Victorians stay winless
Reigning champions Comilla Victorians’ miseries in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League continued as they were solidly beaten by the Rangpur Riders to record their fifth consecutive defeat of the season. The Rangpur Riders continued their good form and are in second position with the same number of points as table toppers Dhaka Dynamites.
The Victorians had a poor start to their innings as they lost both their openers within the first powerplay before Ahmed Shehzad and Marlon Samuels build a riskless partnership of 64 for the third wicket. Both players scored 52 and the reigning champions ended their innings at 122 for 5 in their 20 overs.
The Riders’ bowling was excellent with most of their bowlers going at below seven runs an over. Rubel Hossain was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets for 27 in his four overs. Pakistan veteran Shahid Afridi went wicket-less but was economical, conceding only 18 runs in his four overs.
In reply, the Rangpur Riders started well with Soumya Sarkar, who showed some aggressive intent right from the first over before being caught by Rashid Khan at mid-wicket off Mashrafe Mortaza’s bowling.
Mohammad Mithun joined in with Mohammad Shahzad at the crease and both batsmen took calculated risks before wielding the long handle and risks towards the end of the match. Shahzad finished off the match with a six over deep midwicket to bring up his second half-century of the league. His 51 off 49 deliveries eventually fetched him the Man of the Match award.
The Riders now take on fourth-placed Khulna Titans on Tuesday while the Comilla Victorians take on the seventh-placed Rajshahi Kings tomorrow.
Brief Scores: Comilla Victorians- 122/5 in 20 overs (Shehzad- 52, Samuels- 52, Hossain- 27/2); Rangpur Riders- 126/1 in 17 overs (Shahzad- 51*, Mithun- 45*, Mortaza- 20/1)
Result: Rangpur Riders win by nine wickets with three overs remaining
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