Chattogram Challengers 161 for 8 (Jacks 41, Rubel 3-26)
Minister Group Dhaka 131 (Tamim 52, Shoriful 4-34, Nasum 3-9)
Chattogram Challengers won by 30 runs
Chattogram Challengers opened their account with a 30-run victory against Minister Group Dhaka in the Bangladesh Premier League's (BPL) fourth match played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday (Jan 22).
A relatively high-scoring game was witnessed compared to the one played earlier in the day in which Comilla Victorians overcame Sylhet Sunrisers with a narrow two-wicket win.
In the latest game, played under lights, after losing the toss and sent in to bat, Chattogram started off a little too cautiously and found themselves on six for one after pacer Rubel Hossain dismissed Kennar Lewis in the first ball of the third over.
However, opener Will Jacks turned the table fast as Chattogram raced to 50 for 1 after six overs. Pacers Rubel, Ebadot Hossain and spinner Arafat Sunny had kept things tight from their end but Jacks went on to strike five fours and three sixes during the Powerplay and especially unleashed upon his overseas counterparts Andre Russel and Isuru Udana, who conceded 17 and 15 runs from their respective first overs. Ebadot was unlucky not to have scalped a wicket in his opening delivery as skipper Tamim Iqbal dropped Afif Hossain at short fine leg.
Afif could not capitalise on his luck however and was outfoxed into a stumping dismissal by Sunny right after Powerplay. And soon, Jacks followed suit in the innings' eighth over from Shuvagata Hom after a 24-ball 41-run knock. From then on, Chattogram regrouped well, courtesy of a 44-run stand from Sabbir Rahman and skipper Mehedi Hasan Miraz, and found themselves in a position of power, on 100 for three after 13 overs.
Dhaka had other ideas though. Like a game of tug of war, Mahmudullah Riyad and his troop pulled back the initiative again from the port city side and conceded 28 runs from the next four overs, but more importantly grabbed four wickets, including the crucial one of Sabbir, who was gearing up for the late onslaught. Sabbir departed after a 17-ball 29-run cameo, striking two fours and as many sixes.
Eventually, Chattogram posed a total of 161 for eight after 20 overs, largely due to the late flourish from all-rounder Benny Howell, who hit three sixes and a four for his 39 runs off 19 balls before Tamim brilliantly ran the Englishman out with a direct throw from the boundary at long off in the last ball of the innings.
Rubel bounced back from his wayward bowling display against Khulna Tigers yesterday and was easily the pick of the Challengers with his three wickets for 26 in four overs. Ebadot remained wicketless but matched Rubel's economy rate while Sunny conceded 23 for his solitary wicket.
In reply, Dhaka started off in a similar fashion to Chattogram, scoring 10 runs in the first three overs, in which spinner Nasum Ahmed conceded only three from his two overs.
Tamim took it upon himself to singlehandedly propel Dhaka innings from then on and opened his boundary account with a lusty blow for a maximum in Miraz's second over, the innings' fourth. Pacer Shoriful Islam faced the wrath of Tamim at his introduction, with three boundaries on the trot. Fellow opener Mohammad Shahzad departed (9 off 12) but the dashing lefty went on to score his back-to-back fifty in the tournament in the 11th over. However, on 73 for one after 11 overs, Dhaka were feeling the heat from the asking run rate, which went close to 10 per over.
Shoriful bowled the next over and picked out Jahurul Islam (10) after dismissing Tamim, who scored 52 off 45 deliveries, laced with six fours and two maximums.
Then Nasum returned in the 14th over and Dhaka suffered a double blow as the off-spinner sent Mohammad Naim (4) and skipper Mahmudullah (5) to the dugout. Nasum continued his superb spell and took the prized wicket of Andre Russel. The West Indian was looking dangerous in the middle, having struck a couple of boundaries in the over prior.
With Russel gone in the 16th over, the required run rate had crept beyond 15 and afterwards the likes of Udana (16) and Shuvagata (13) could only lower the margin of defeat as Dhaka were all out for 131 in 19.5 overs and suffered two defeats in two days.
Shoriful achieved a four-for while Nasum boasted figures of three wickets for nine runs in four overs but would be a tad disappointed to have conceded a boundary off his last delivery.
