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Ruthless Chattogram pound Cumilla to tighten noose in BBPL point table
DHAKA, Dec 20, 2019 (BSS)- Chattogram Challengers put up yet another ruthless performance and secured their fifth victory in the six matches of the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) to bolster their position in the point table.
This time, Cumilla Warriors were at the receiving end as Chattogram annihilated them by 16 runs at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium today after posting their second consecutive 200 plus total which sent the partisan home crowd into delirium.
Riding on Chadwick Walton’s marauding 27-ball 71 not out and stand-in captain Imrul Kayes’s well-composed 41-ball 62, Chattorgam compiled 238-4, the season’s best total and the second highest total in BPL history, only behind Rangpur Riders’ 239 in the last season.
Just 48 hours ago at the same ground, Chattogram posted 221-4 against Dhaka Platoon.
Cumilla got a glimmer of hope through Dawid Malan’s 38-ball 84 but after his departure, they crumbled eventually to be restricted to 222-7.
Young pacer Mehedi Hasan Rana was the wrecker-in-chief with 4-28, that included the wicket of Malan to effectively end Cumilla’s all hope. His bowling stood out again in a match that saw BPL’s highest 460 runs in a match.
By virtue of this victory, Chattogram continues to lead the point table with 10 points from six matches.
Like Dhaka Platoon, Cumilla’s decision to send Chattogram batting first backfired as the hosts, bolstered by the presence of the local crowd, grew with strength to strength and became unstoppable.
Walton struck five fours and six sixes in his ultra-aggressive knock which ensured Chattogram would end up scoring 92 runs in the last five overs and thereby overtook Comilla Victorians’ 237 as their second highest total of BPL.
Even though they lost opener Lendl Simmons (10) in a batting paradise cheaply, that mattered little for them.
Inform Imrul Kayes and Avishka Fernadno combined for an 85 off just 49 balls to set up the platform of another big total.
Fernando struck 48 off 27 with three fours and as many sixes while Kayes continued his rich vein of form with 41 ball-62, smashing nine fours and one six.
Amid the run flow, Cumilla took three wickets in quick succession, including of those two but Chadwick Walton and Nurul Hasan Sohan tore apart the bowling to share 99 off just 34 balls to literally end any hopes of Cumilla before they started their chasing.
Sohan was not out on 29 off 15 with two fours and as many sixes to complement Walton’s brutal knock.
Soumya Sarkar took 2-44 in three overs.
While chasing the target, Cumilla had no choice but to attack and attack. But that was not to be as young pacer Mehedi Hasan Rana dealt a triple blow –in his first over, he removed Soumya Sarkar (15) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (6) and then trapped Sabbir Rahman (5) leg-before in second over to leave Cumilla 32-3.
Dawid Malan and Yasir Ali counterattacked and shared 58 runs for the fourth wicket before Rubel Hossain broke the partnership, getting rid of Ali for 21.
Malan kept hitting and got captain Dasun Shanaka in the support. With the duo competing each other to hit boundaries, Cumilla’s chance to gun down that huge total suddenly raised.
However like the way Mehedi Hasan Rana put a stop in Dhaka’s free-flowing batting in previous match, he came back in his second spell to ruin Cumila’s hope also as he got the better of Malan who smashed 84 off 38 with seven fours and five sixes. After the departure of Malan, Shanaka could pose a danger but he too dragged a Mukta Ali-delivery onto his stump to be bowled for 37 off 21.
Abu Haider Rony then blasted 10-ball 28 not out to reduce the margin only as Chattogram then effortlessly sealed another deal.
BSS/SMP/MMA/2323hrs