Frylinck advances Khulna’s cause
Sabbir Rahman scored his first fifty of the season after the tactical change to promote the struggling batsman to open the innings, but it did not help Cumilla Warriors in the crucial Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) encounter as Khulna Tigers registered a convincing 34-run win in the days’ first game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.
Khulna’s South African seamer Robbie Frylinck made the difference with figures of five wickets for 16 four overs -- his second five-wicket haul of the BPL. It was also the second-best bowling figures in the ongoing BBPL and helped bundle Cumilla out for 145 runs in their chase of 180.
Sabbir, who was dropped in the previous game after a series of failures, was the only highlight for Cumilla with the bat but his effort eventually went in vain.
With six wins in 10 games, Khulna took one step further to a play-offs spot while Cumilla’s fifth loss in 11 games sees them see them needing a win in their last game against the same opposition today to have a chance of qualifying.
Opening for the first time this season, Sabbir was compact while at the same time playing some delightful strokes that kept Cumilla in the hunt.
However, early blows such as the losses of opener Stiaan van Zyl and (12) in-form skipper Dawid Malan (1) meant they were behind the game from the start. Sabbir then paired up with Soumya Sarkar and added 51 for the third wicket before the latter departed in the twenties once more.
Sabbir went on to register his fifty off 33 balls as Cumilla were still eyeing a win as they needed 72 off 41 balls.
But the hot-tempered cricketer seemed to lose his cool after engaging in a verbal spat with Khulna’s Pakistani seamer Mohammad Amir after hitting him for a four in the 15th over and was caught off the very next ball for 62 off 39 balls with seven fours and two sixes.
Cumilla were still in the hunt, needing fifty off the last five overs, but it was Frylinck who picked up wickets at regular intervals to take Khulna to a rather easy win.
Earlier, Khulna made a solid start after being asked to bat as Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Mehedi Hasan Miraz adding 71 runs in the opening stand.
Both Shanto and Mehedi departed for thirties, after which South African Rilee Rossouw continued his brilliant form and struck a blistering unbeaten 71 off 36 balls, which was studded with four sixes and six fours.
Rossouw, along with skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, added an unbeaten 85 for the third wicket with the latter hitting an unbeaten 24 off 17 balls to post a challenging total.
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