BPL 2017, Match 41 Review: Dhaka Dynamites go into the play-offs on a high

Dhaka Dynamites will step into the play-offs with spirits soaring high as they crushed the Rangpur Riders by 43 runs in Wednesday’s match. This match was anything but a decider as both teams have previously qualified to the eliminator stage. The crowd at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka were in for a good time as their home team won the match resoundingly. With this win, Dhaka end at the second spot in the points table, while Rangpur will stay at the fourth position.

Having called favourably at the flip of the coin, Dhaka Dynamites’ captain, Shakib Al Hasan chose to bat first. The top-order didn’t fire the way they would’ve wanted to. Openers, Sunil Narine (4) and Evin Lewis (14) not only fared miserably in terms of runs, but also wasted a tad too many balls in the process. The middle-order batsmen could add merely 24 runs to the total, before being dismissed by Adam Lyth one by one. Had it not been for the partnership between Mehedi Maruf and the skipper down the order, Dhaka would’ve found themselves staring down the barrel with a below-par score.

Shakib Al Hasan, in particular, shone with the bat as he scored 47 runs off just 33 deliveries. Both Rubel Hossain and Ebadat Hossain picked up 2 wickets apiece, but leaked a few too many runs giving Dhaka the scope to reach a fair first innings score of 137-7. At the outset, it may have looked to be a get-able target for the Rangpur Riders, but that was not to be.

Rangpur Riders lose steam mid-way

In spite of having a fairly chase-able total at their hands, Rangpur Riders seemed to be too lacklustre on the field in their body language. The batting just did not click for the side and only 3 batsmen were able to reach the double-figures, exposing the plight of the Rangpur team. Opener, Johnson Charles (26) chipped in but was unable to convert his good start to a substantial contribution. The rest of the batting effort from the Brendon McCullum-led side was deplorable, to say the very least and even more unbecoming from a team to have qualified for the play-offs.

Ravi Bopara was the lobe bright spot for the Rangpur Riders as he managed to accrue 28 runs off 30 balls, but it was nowhere close to being enough as his side fell short by 43 runs in the end. Shakib Al Hasan and Abu Hider Rony each got 2 scalps, helping their team on the path to victory.

Brief Scores

Dhaka Dynamites: 137-7 in 20 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 47, R Hossain 2/32)

Rangpur Riders: 94-7 in 20 overs (Ravi Bopara 28, Shakib Al Hasan 2/13)

Player of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan