BPL 2016, Match 12 Review: Malan and Nafees guide Barisal Bulls to thumping victory over Vikings

Chittagong Vikings had a stiff task ahead of them as they locked horns with in-form Barisal Bulls. Vikings lost their plot losing 2 games in a row after having won the tournament opener. The Bulls, on the other hand, have been getting better with each match. A lot of shuffling and shifting was expected in both the line ups ahead of their clash at Dhaka.

Vikings decided to rest Shoaib Malik and Chaturanga de Silva from the playing eleven. They drafted in Kiwi batsman Grant Elliot to strengthen their batting line up and promising Pakistan domestic player Imran Khan Jr also got a look in. The Bulls drafted out the out of form opener Dilshan Munaweera. English batsman Joshua Cobb was the beneficiary. Bowling star Mehedi Hasan was also rested.

The match kick started with a brilliant opening stand by the Vikings openers. Tamim Iqbal’s belligerent 75 saw his side cruising to a mammoth total. An ill-timed dismissal saw things slow down as Barisal Bulls managed to restrict them under 170. It was the combined effort of Shahriar Nafees and Dawid Malan that set up the chase for Barisal Bulls as Vikings found no answers to their shots.

Earlier in the day, it was Barisal Bulls skipper Mushfiqur Rahim who won the toss and opted to field. After having been put into bat, skipper Tamim Iqbal walked in to open the innings with Jahurul Islam. The Chittagong Vikings demoted Dwayne Smith from the opening slot and that raised a few eyebrows. The move, however, seemed to work well for the Vikings.

Also read – BPL 4, Match 11, Review: Titans secure a win as Victorians lose third in a row

The Bangladeshi duo looked in great touch as they raced to 46 runs in the powerplay. Jahurul happily played the second fiddle as Tamim took on the opposition bowlers. Despite a maiden from Taijul Islam early in the innings, the run flow never stopped. With the total close to 100 by the half way stage, the Vikings threatened to post a total in excess of 200. Tamim Iqbal hit his second fifty of the season in quick time.

The first breakthrough for the Bulls was provided by Kamrul Islam Rabbi in the 14th over. Rabbi dismissed Tamim for 75 off 51 balls with 10 fours and 2 sixes. The opening stand of 116 off 78 balls had set the stage for Vikings. Anamul Haque was the new man in for the Chittagong Vikings. Before Anamul could set his feet at the crease, the other set batsman Jahurul departed in the very next over.

Abu Hider ended Jahurul’s 34-ball 36 that included 4 fours to bring Dwayne Smith in. In the process, the run flow ceased almost suddenly. Despite some hitting by Anamul, the Vikings could not post a mammoth total as promised by their openers. Dwayne Smith departed on the last ball of the innings with a run-a-ball 17. Anamul’s unbeaten 19-ball 27 with 2 fours and a six saw Chittagong finish with 163/3 in their 20 overs.

Barisal Bulls lost their new opener Joshua Cobb early in the innings. Subhashis Roy got rid of Cobb on 6 in the 2nd over. Dawid Malan and Shahriar Nafees then had the task to take things forward. They looked overly cautious in their approach. With just 26 runs in the powerplay, the Bulls were surely playing the catching game from thereon.

Once the two batsmen settled in, they gave very little opportunity to the opposition. Both Malan and Nafees started playing their shots with calculated risks. A bit of luck going their way and they knew the match was there for the taking. Malan was dropped early in the innings by Roy. The dropped chance proved to be a costly deal for the Vikings. Nafees brought up his fifty in the 14th over. An over later, Malan reached his fifty too.

Nafees played the cautious knock as Malan dealt only in sixes. It was only a matter of time that the two successfully went past the Vikings total. Some drama unfolded in the penultimate over when Imran Khan dismissed Shahriar Nafees and Thisara Perera on successive deliveries. Nafees’ 59-ball 65 was studded with 7 fours and a six. With 7 to win in 6 balls, it was skipper Mushfiqur Rahim who joined Malan at the crease.

Subhashis Roy had the task of defending 6 in the last over. Rahim ran two on the first ball and then hit a four to level the scores. Another boundary and that sealed the match for the Bulls. Dawid Malan remained unbeaten on 78 that came off just 48 balls. The knock was embellished with 3 fours and 7 towering sixes. Barisal Bulls won by 7 wickets and moved straight to the top of the points table. Chittagong Kings have now lost 3 matches in a row.

Brief Scores:

Chittagong Vikings 163/3 in 20 overs (Tamim 75, Jahurul 36, Rabbi 1/21, Rony 1/31)

Barisal Bulls 167/3 in 19.4 overs (Malan 78*, Nafees 65, Imran Khan Jr 2/30, Roy 1/24)