All eyes on wicket
As the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) enters its second leg in Chittagong today, the teams and spectators will hope that the batsmen can get a fair wicket to express themselves.
The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong has traditionally been a batsman's paradise and almost all the players of the tournament, even some of the bowlers, hope that the wickets at the ZACS stay true to its billing.
The reason behind that of course has been the dull pitches on which the tournament was played on in Dhaka. While the first few games did witness a few high-scoring encounters, towards the end, scores of 120 and lower were chased with immense difficulty.
This is the one aspect that a number of players spoke about during their respective training sessions in Chittagong yesterday.
“I am hopeful that the wickets in Chittagong will have more runs in them. A team should ideally be able to score around 160 to 170 here even if not 180 or 190. We can know a lot better after the first match,” Chittagong Vikings skipper Tamim Iqbal told reporters yesterday.
The skipper also expects his team to do a lot better at their home venue.
“The first phase did not go too well for us. We lost close matches, which we ideally should have won. However, what has happened has happened. We have to focus on these four games here. We hope to get the kind of support that Dhaka got in the capital,” said Tamim. He also hoped that bowlers like Shafiul Islam and Taskin Ahmed get encouraged from the likes of Mohammad Amir to do well in the new phase.
Umar Akmal, who wasn't present in Dhaka, will be available in their squad for the Chittagong-leg
Chittagong's opponents today, the Barisal Bulls have a similar focus. Their keeper Brendon Taylor hopes for a better batting performance and also hinted in the inclusion of West Indian hard-hitter Evin Lewis in the side for today's game.
“I know the wicket will be very good. The wickets in Dhaka weren't up to scratch. A year ago, we played some Test matches and ODIs here. I think it will be an excellent wicket,” said Taylor.
While Barisal play Chittagong, Comilla Victorians will face the Sylhet Superstars in the evening. The latter battle is expected to be a lot more exciting. Comilla are sitting at the top with six points while Sylhet are winless at the bottom. However, today could well be Sylhet's chance to pull off a win.
And the reason behind that is that Comilla will be without Marlon Samuels and Sunil Narine. Both the players, especially Samuels contributed quite a bit for the Victorians in Dhaka. They will hope Ahmed Shahzad and Shoaib Malik, who are expected to come on December 1, can fill that gap.
Sylhet on the other hand have roped in Shehan Jayasuriya and will be waiting for Shahid Afridi and Sohail Tanvir, who are expected to join them during the Chittagong-leg of the tournament if not today.
Mushfiqur Rahim's Sylhet might receive a further boost if Rubel Hossain, who told reporters yesterday that he was fit to play, is included in the team today.
Rangpur Riders and Dhaka Dynamites will not feature today, but when they do they will be able to include two crucial players in their respective sides.
Wahab Riaz will be reaching Chittagong tomorrow and will boost Rangpur's pace department which at the moment is being run by the young Abu Jayed Chowdhury. Dhaka on the other hand will welcome pacer Mohammad Irfan.
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