Published: Dec 03, 2016, 07:10 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 03, 2016, 07:24 PM (IST)
Shoaib Malik came out fighting and played one of the finest knocks of his T20 career in the 40th encounter of the Bangladesh Premier League 2016-17 between Chittagong Vikings and Rajshahi Kings. The latter won the toss and elected to field first. Their move turned out be dead right as their bowlers wrecked havoc with the new ball. Kesrick Williams did a commendable job in scalping the wicket of Tamim Iqbal in the very first ball. Young prodigy Mehedi Hasan also delivered in his very first over and got rid of Anamul Haque with his wily off-spin. Chittagong Vikings were already in deep trouble when Afif Hossain made the situation worse for them by chipping in with three quick wickets. Jaharul Islam looked good and got a good start but Hossain ended his run for 13.
Chris Gayle’s early fall is always a boon for the opposition Hossain ensured he did so by sending him back to the pavilion for a mere score of 5. Zakir Hasan was also undone for a poor score of 3 as Vikings were in hot water at 37 for the loss of five wickets inside 9 overs. Malik brought his experience into play and stood his ground but ran out of partners from the other end. Mohammad Nabi looked good but floundered after adding 12 runs to the board. Hossain returned to haunt the Vikings line-up and ran through their batting line-up. He got rid of Saqlain Sajib and moments later Sohail Khan was also undone by him, which also helped him claim his fifer. Chittagong Vikings batting was in shambles at 70 for the loss of 8 wickets.
Live Cricket Updates, Chittagong Vikings vs Rajshahi Kings, Match 40, BPL 2016 at Mirpur
Malik took charge and scored some much-needed runs while Taskin Ahmed played cautiously for 11 deliveries at the other end. This was undoubtedly one of the best knocks played by Malik as he remained unbeaten on 67 and helped his side in playing out the overs. He got a fifty on a wicket, where wickets tumbled like nine pins.
Brief Score:
Chittagong Vikings 111 for 9 in 20 overs (Shoaib Malik 67*, Jahurul Islam 13; Afif Hossain 5 for 20) against Rajshahi Kings.
