Published: Nov 29, 2016, 09:01 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 29, 2016, 09:01 PM (IST)
In match no. 33 of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2016, Tamim Iqbal led Chittagong Vikings (CHV) to an important win against Khulna Titans (KT) by 5 wickets. With the group stages heading into the business end, Vikings and Titans met for a significant clash. Currently lying at the second spot, Titans had the top position in mind whereas Vikings were languishing at the fourth place. Vikings looked the better side from the onset and emerged victorious courtesy a calculative innings of Tamim. Vikings won the match in 18.4 overs with 8 balls to spare. READ: Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2016 Points Table
Winning the toss, Titans opted to bat. Titans never got going as Taibur Rahman and Alok Kapali fell early. In-form batsman Riki Wessels showed some promise at the top but left the crease for 20. Yet again it was Titans’ skipper Mahmudullah who showed some resistance and stuck his end. He made a valiant 41 along with handy contributions from Ariful Haque, Nicholas Pooran and all-rounder Kevin Cooper to get their side to a modest score of 131 for 8.
Nonetheless, Vikings’ bowlers were upto the mark with everyone picking wickets. Mohammad Nabi, Saqlain Sajib and Subashish Roy grabbed one scalp each while Taskin Ahmed and Imran Khan jnr ended with two wickets.
In reply, Vikings started the run-chase with left-handers’ Chris Gayle and Tamim Iqbal showing their aggressive intent. In no time, Vikings raced to 39 before Gayle departed for 19. CHV lost a bit of momentum as Shoaib Malik, Anamul Haque and Zakir Husan departed cheaply but Tamim exhibited composure to take his side across the rope.
Nabi hit the winning runs to give Vikings their second consecutive victory. With this triumph, Vikings also have 12 points along with Titans and Dhaka Dynamites (DD).
Brief Scores:
Khulna Titans 131 for 8 in 20 overs (Riki Wessels 20, Mahmudullah 41, Araful Haque 18; Taskin Ahmed 2 for 28, Imran Khan jnr 2 for 16) lost to Chittagong Vikings 135 for 5 (Tamim Iqbal 66*, Jahurul Islam 22; Shuvgata Hom 1 for 7, Kevin Cooper 1 for 18) by 5 wickets.
