DHAKA, Jan 10, 2020 (BSS)-A determined Rangpur Rangers came up with a spirited performance to secure a 11-run win over mighty Dhaka Platoon to end their Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) campaign with winning note at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium here today.
The victory was Rangpur’s fifth win in the last eight matches but still
they failed to make it the play-off, vastly courtesy to their four defeats in a row in the first four matches.
They however finished the tournament, remaining at sixth position in the
seven-team tournament but the position in point table doesn’t show how doggedly they performed at the latter part of the tournament.
The burning example was their last match in which they put up just 149-9 after being sent to bat first but their bowlers came up with resolute performance to make the total count, restricted star-studded Dhaka out for 138-9.
Lewis Gregory played a key role in their victory with a sterling all-round
performance, clobbering a 32 ball-46 with five fours and two sixes and
claiming 1-25.
Rangpur’s total looked not pretty initially as their lower middle order
couldn’t’ capitalize on the platform set by the middle order batsmen-Lewis
Gregory and Al-Amin Hossain Junior.
Gregory’s 46 was complemented by Al-Amin Junior who hit 24 ball-35,
smashing four fours and one six. Jahurul Islam Omee contributed with 28.
Following a shaky start that saw them lost captain Shane Watson (10) and
Cameron Delport (6) in fifth over with the scoreboard reading 28-2, Gregory
gave the innings much-needed pace.
Rangpur soon was reduced to 50-3 after Naim Sheikh was dismissed by Shadab
Khan for 21 ball-17.
Gregory and Al-Amin added 49 runs for the fourth wicket stand, keeping the
run rate quite high.
However Thisara Perera inflicted a collapse and stalled the progress of
Rangpur, firstly removing Gregory. Shadab Khan then got rid of Al-Amin and
Rangpur crumbled under pressure to be all out with a total that looked not
pretty.
Perera returned figures of 3-23 while Shadab Khan ended with 2-25.
Rangpur got the much-needed momentum to win the game despite that small
total when they trapped Anamul Haque Bijoy (5) in run out.
With Tamim Iqbal struggling to pace the innings, Rangpur got the chance to
impose the pressure and reaped the rewards when Arafat Sunny (2-29) dealt a
double blow, dismissing Tamim for 33 ball-34 and Mahedi Hasan for 20.
Even though their strike bowler Mustafizur Rahman leaked runs, fast bowler
Taskin Ahmed (2-25) and Lewis Gregory came up with fire to slice the middle
order before Pakistan recruit Junaid Khan (2-22) played his part in death
overs.
However drama unfolded in the last over when Dhaka needed 23 with one
wicket remaining. Mashrafe smashed first ball, which turned out to be no
delivery, for boundary and also got another boundary courtesy to wicket-
keeper’s mistake.
It looked Mashrafe was going to produce a miracle out of nothing but
Gregory held his nerve, corrected his length and denied Dhaka eventually.