Chattogram Challengers pick up 2nd win defending the highest total

Chattogram Challengers clinched their second win in the ongoing Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Monday beating Khulna Tigers by 25 runs at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

The Challengers now have two wins in three games while Khulna Tigers suffered the first defeat in two matches.

Challengers batted first in the match and posted 190 for 7— the highest team total so far in the ongoing BPL.

Kennar Lewis and Will Jacks laid a good foundation for them scoring 29 runs just in 1.3 overs thanks to Sohrawordi Shuvo who conceded 23 runs in the first over of the match.

After that fiery start, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Benny Howell posted 32, 30, and 34 respectively to put up a challenging total.

Sabbir and Mehidy shared a 48-run stand in the fourth wicket partnership that helped the Challengers to get close to 200. Their second-best partnership came in the sixth wicket when Howell and Shamim Hossain added 32 runs off 17 balls.

Khulna’s right-arm pacer Kamrul Islam Rabbi scalped two wickets while Naveen-ul-Haq and Farhad Reza bagged one wicket each. Three other wickets were lost to run-out.

In reply, Yasir Ali hit 40 off 26 balls with two fours and three sixes at a strike rate of surpassing 150.

But his effort went in vain as the other Khulna batters were unable to respond properly to chase down a target of 191 runs.

Mahedi Hasan scored 30 off 20 balls while Zimbabwean recruit of Khulna Sikandar Raza posted 22 off 12 balls, but they eventually fell short of 25 runs. Kamrul Islam Rabbi scored 14 off 7 balls at the end but he failed to change the fate of the match.

For the Challengers, Shoriful Islam, Mehidy, and Rejaur Rahman Raja scalped two wickets each.

The match saw an incident of concern when Andre Fletcher was hit on his neck by a nasty bouncer of Rejaur during the seventh over of Khulna’s innings.

Fletcher was immediately stretchered off the field, and Sikandar Raza took the field as his concussion substitute.

Before being retired hurt, Fletcher posted 16 off 12 balls.

In a later statement, the Khulna Tigers said that the batter will undergo medical check-ups on Monday night, though he was stable at the time when he was carried to the hospital.

These two teams will lock the horns again on January 28.