Ruthless Rangpur crush Chattogram to retain top spot

Rangpur Riders racked up the first 200-plus total of this season's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and later defended it to crush Chattogram Challengers by 53 runs at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

The victory, their fifth on the trot, helped them consolidate their top spot further after amassing 12 points in eight matches. Chattogram retained the third spot with 10 points from eight matches.

South African recruit Hendricks led the run-fest as Rangpur compiled 211-3 before restricting Chattogram to 158-6.

On his first match in BPL, Hendricks blasted 58 off 41 with five fours and three sixes to be the top-scorer of the side.

Hendricks and his fellow opener Rony Talukdar gave the side a high-flying start after their captain Nurul Hasan Sohan chose to bat first. The openers added 61 runs in just 41 balls to lay the platform, which was utilized by all of the batters indeed.

Spinner Nihadduzaman gave Chattogram the first breakthrough, removing Rony who made 24 off 17 with three fours and one six. Hendricks and Shakib Al Hasan then put on 61 runs further with Rangpur accumulating runs at 10 runs per over.

But the scoring rate was slowed down a bit when Salahuddin Shakil removed both Shakib and Hendricks in three balls. Shakib hammered 16 ball-27 with three fours and one six.

Sohan and James Neesham gave the finishing in style with Rangpur clobbering 75 runs in the last five overs. Neesham who raised his half-century in the last ball, whacking a towering six, was unbeaten on 51 off 26. He smote five fours and three sixes. Sohan was 31 not out.

Salahuddin Shakil ended with 2-15 after bowling just two overs.

After hitting a half-century in his first match, Neesham took 2-32 to deny Chattogram pose any challenge. Shakib Al Hasan also played his part well with 2-24.

South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir who also represented Rangpur for the first time in this season, took 1-28.

Amid the carnage of Rangpur bowlers, opener Shykat Ali, struck a six-laden 63 off 45, an innings laced with one four and six sixes. Skipper Shuvagata Hom was the other notable scorer with 13 ball-31 not out.

/KN/