Bulls upstage Riders
Rangpur Riders, the best team on paper, did manage to snatch a victory on the first day of the BPL, but they failed to repeat their death-over heroics against a spirited Barisal Bulls outfit.
A brilliant five-wicket haul from Kevon Cooper and a patient half-century from Mahmudullah were the highlights of the Bulls' 13-run win. While Cooper bowled a brilliant four-wicket maiden to defend 15 runs in the last over, Mahmudullah's half-century helped Barisal recover from 15 for 4 to post 155.
The target didn't seem that high initially. Soumya Sarkar and Lendl Simmons unleashed their drives from the very first over of the match. However, they lost the two crucial wickets of Soumya and Shakib Al Hasan within the first six overs and that slowed the run-rate. The pressure increased on the middle-order once Misbahul Haq -- the hero for the Riders in the last match -- got caught behind in the 12th over. At that point in time, Barisal were struggling at 66 for 4. However, as witnessed a number of times in this league already, a partnership ensued and revived Rangpur's chase.
Mohammad Mithun and Thisara Perera put on 68 runs in 6.3 overs. Mithun was the main aggressor scoring a beautiful 55 off 32 balls. He drove the ball with precision and caressed five fours and two sixes.
Mithun fell in the penultimate over and Rangpur, akin to the scenario in the last game, required 15 runs off the last over with Marlon Samuels on strike.
However, Samuels was caught in the deep off the first ball and the rest of the tail-enders managed just two runs in that over.
Earlier Barisal Bulls had made their worst possible start to the third season of the BPL.
Their top four batsmen were sent back in the opening four overs and the match seemed like it was heading towards a quick end.
Shahriar Nafees, Sabbir Rahman and Rony Talukdar were all removed by Perera. Shakib Al Hasan had come to the party as well, as he removed Zimbabwe's Bredan Taylor in the third over.
However, that's when Mahmudullah came to the crease and, together with Nadif Chowdhury, began the Bulls's revival. The duo shared an 82-run stand for the fifth wicket, which came in 11.2 overs.
Mahmudullah ended up scoring a responsible 51 off 43 balls, an innings which contained five fours and a six, while Nadif provided ample support with his 31-ball 30. Both of them were removed by Shakib in the 16th over.
Comments