BPL 2023 | Shamim Hossain’s 71 outshines Hasan’s 69, puts Riders in Qualifier 2
Hossain plays a shot during his 71 (BPL)
Rangpur Riders have advanced to the next round of the ongoing BPL 2023 season, after they pulled off a sensational heist against Fortune Barishal in the eliminator. They will now face their next opponents in Qualifier 2 on February 14 at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. A win there will grant them entry for the summit clash of this year’s tournament.
Riders fail to contain Mehidy Hasan’s carnage
Earlier, Rangpur Riders’ skipper Nurul Hasan had won the toss and opted to field first. The decision backfired as the Fortune Barishal openers, especially Mehidy Hasan, made full use of the powerplay overs with a blazing start to their innings. Moreover, the cricketer top-scored with 69 and formed crucial stands with opener partner Andre Fletcher and number three Mahmudullah.
Karim Janat and Sri Lankan import Bhanuka Rajapaksa unleashed sparkling cameos at the death to elevate the Fortune Barishal to 170-3.
Unfazed by wickets, Riders held nerves in final over thriller
Rangpur Riders’ number three Shamim Hossain outperformed Mehidy Hasan’s effort with a scintillating 71 at the top. The cricketer arrived to the crease within the opening over and formed a 61-run partnership with opener Rony Talukdar.
Captain Nurul Hasan scored a crucial 18 while Dasun Shanaka and Mahedi Hasan secured tense runs in the twilight stages of the game. The trio, alongside Hossain and Talukdar successfully neutralised the Shakib Al Hasan and Khaled Ahmed threat to pull off the run-chase with three balls to spare.
Brief scores:
Fortune Barishal: 170-3 (20)
Mehidy Hasan Miraz 69 (48), Mahmudullah 34 (21)
Dasun Shanaka 2-23, Rakibul Hasan 1-32
Rangpur Riders: 172-6 (19.3)
Shamim Hossain 71 (51), Rony Talukdar 29 (17)
Khaled Ahmed 2-24, Shakib al Hasan 2-27
Rangpur Riders won by four wickets
 "Aakash Saini")
