Bangladesh Premier League 2023, February 3rd: Round-Up

image-ldos2gy0Shoriful Islam (Source: BCB)

A total of four teams locked horns on Friday, February 3rd in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Let's take a quick review of the action transpired.

Match 33: Fortune Barishal vs Khulna Tigers

Result: Fortune Barishal won by 37 runs

Riding on a dominating day with the bat, followed by Karim Janat’s 4-wicket haul with the ball, Fortune Barishal beat Khulna Tigers convincingly by 37 runs in Match 33.

After being asked to bat first, Fortune Barishal posted a well above-par total of 194 in twenty overs. Fazle Mahmud got Barishal off to a great start, while Khulna did manage to cease the run-flow in the middle overs but the duo of Shakib Al Hasan and Iftikhar Ahmed delivered once again, scoring a 79 off the last five overs and taking Barishal to a solid total. Iftikhar Ahmed top scored with another unbeaten half century, while Paul van Meekeren took three wickets with the ball.

In reply, Khulna Tigers got off to a poor start and eventually could never get going in the chase. Shai Hope and Andrew Balbirnie did try to rebuild the chase but were soon halted by Khaled Ahmed. However, Yasir Ali did try to bring his side back in the chase but it was too late for them. Karim Janat took a magnificent 4-wicket haul and Barishal won by a massive 37 runs.

Brief Scores

Fortune Barishal: 194/5 (20 Overs)

Iftikhar Ahmed 51*(31), Fazle Mahmud 39 (29);
Paul van Meekeren 3/48, Hasan Mahmud 1/25

Khulna Tigers: 157/8 (20 Overs)

Yasir Ali 60 (38), Shai Hope 34 (24)
Karim Janat 4/29, Khaled Ahmed 2/36

Match 34: Dhaka Dominators vs Rangpur Riders

Result: Rangpur Riders won by 2 wickets.

Riding on a dominant bowling performance and a Nurul Hasan masterclass with the bat, Rangpur Riders beat Dhaka Dominators by 2 wickets in match 34.

After inviting to bat first, Rangpur Riders restricted Dhaka to a below-par total of 130 in the first innings. Azmatullah Omarzai delivered with the new ball once again and sent back two of the top three batters early. Abdullah Al Mamun and Alex Blake did try to stitch a partnership but failed and the entire batting unit knocked over.

Chasing a paltry 131, Rangpur got off to a decent start, scoring 42 off the first six overs. However, Shoriful Islam, who was playing his first game of the tournament, removed two of the top three Rangpur batters. Nurul Hasan promoted himself at four and put the pressure back on Dhaka. He and Rony Talukdar added 93 for the third wicket, with Nurul scoring 61 off 33. However Dhaka managed a brilliant comeback, reducing Rangpur to 126 for eight, but Rauf kept his cool and took Rangpur over the line.

Brief Scores

Dhaka Dominators: 130/8 (20 Overs)

Ariful Haque 29 (26), Abdullah Al Mamun 23 (27);
Azmatullah Omarzai 2/22, Haris Rauf 1/19

Rangpur Riders: 133/8 (19.3 Overs)

Nurul Hasan 61 (33), Rony Talukdar 34 (39);
Nasir Hossain 4/20, Shoriful Islam 3/18

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