Sammy keeps Kings kicking

When you are at the opposing end, the last thing you want is Darren Sammy to hit form. Unfortunately for the six other teams of the Bangladesh Premier League, the Rajshahi Kings skipper seems to have finally found his comfort zone in Bangladesh and things could change dramatically for the Kings.

Sammy had a below-par start to the league, scoring a total of 81 runs in his first six games. However, in the last two games he has hammered 115 runs without being dismissed.

His unbeaten 44 against the Rangpur Riders led the Kings to an unlikely win over the league leaders on Friday and it was his thunderous 71 off just 34 balls that led his team to a brilliant nine-run win over the Khulna Titans in Mirpur yesterday. The win has helped them post eight points and they are now a good contender for the playoffs.

What was brilliant about Sammy's innings was the way he revived his entire team. Rajshahi were struggling at 88 for 6 in 15 overs and at that point Sammy had scored just 12 off 12 balls.

He hit Mosharraf Hossain for a four in that over and took the team to 96 for 6 at the end of 16 overs, before deciding to unleash himself. He took Junaid Khan and dismissed him for a six and a four.

In the next over he pulled and drove Shafiul Islam over mid-wicket and down the ground for two sixes and a four. And finally, he smacked Shafiul for two more sixes in the last over to help the Kings post 154 and put the pressure back on the Titans, after his side scored 66 runs in the last five overs.

Although the Kings managed to come back well, it was still a total that you would have expected the Titans to chase down on a good batting track. However, the Titans lost both Shuvagata Hom and Hasanuzzaman within the first three overs, leaving Riki Wessels and skipper Mahmudullah Riyad trying to stitch things back with a 47-run stand for the third wicket.

However, Sammy came back and knocked Wessels over with a slower delivery in the 11th over, but his departure did not matter that much as Nicholas Pooran arrived and smacked 28 off just 12 balls. Pooran looked deadly and feasted on Mehedi Hasan Miraz.

He first slogged him for a six and a four in the 12th over and then hit him for two consecutive sixes off the first two balls of the 14th. From 88 required off 54 balls, he brought the equation down to 54 required off 40. However, his attempt to dispatch Miraz for yet another six ended his innings and the game took another turn with his wicket.

Off the very next delivery, a slower one from Abul Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad was bowled and there were now two new batsmen at the crease. All of a sudden 46 off 30 with five wickets in hand seemed quite far away.

Kevon Cooper and Ariful Haque did well to eke out a boundary an over and brought the equation down to 31 off three overs. A brilliant Forhad Reza over which gave away just five runs meant that the Titans needed 26 off two overs.

Umar Akmal took a good catch to his wrong side to dismiss the dangerous Cooper off the first ball of the 19th over off Mohammad Sami. Ariful though managed to get a boundary in that over and that meant that they needed 19 off 6 balls.

Some good bowling from Farhad in the last over, combined with some good fielding from Sammy and Sabbir down the ground, gave away just nine runs and the Titans were eventually restricted to 145 for 6.