BPL 4, Match 35, Review: Comilla Victorians keep hopes alive with second consecutive win

Defending champions Comilla Victorians have had a tournament to forget thus far. Having won just 2 out of their 9 games, they needed to beat the Rajshahi Kings to have an outside chance of making it to the qualifiers. The Kings, on the other hand, sat comfortably in the top four but will need to buck up in order to consolidate on the playoffs berth.

Coming into the match, the Comilla Victorians chose not to tinker with their playing eleven that had won them their last game. The Rajshahi Kings were boosted by the inclusion of big Kiwi all-rounder James Franklin. Darren Sammy won the toss for Rajshahi and elected to bat first. He confirmed the news of Franklin being drafted in the playing eleven. Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal was the one who made way for the Kiwi.

Mominul Haque and wicket-keeper batsman Nurul Hasan started the proceedings for Rajshahi Kings with the bat. A decent 38 run opening stand between the two saw the Kings make a steady start. Rashid Khan broke the partnership in the 5th over when he caught Mominul plumb in front of the stumps on 20.

Sabbir Rahman walked in with a lot of promise. The Kings had 45 runs to their bank by the end of the powerplay. The departure of Nurul on 17 in the very next over after powerplay did no good for the Rajshahi Kings. It was skipper Mashrafe Mortaza who got the breakthrough for Comilla Victorians. Saifuddin and Nabil Samad initiated a middle-order collapse that saw the Kings dip down to 78/7 in 15 overs.

The likes of Rahman and Samit Patel could not do much on the day. Mehedi Hasan, who had a good outing with the bat in the last match, was dismissed cheaply too. All three batsmen getting out on single digits. Darren Sammy’s golden duck to Saifuddin only added to the miseries of the Rajshahi Kings. Farhad Reza’s 13 showed some glimmer of hope but was ended by Mortaza. 78/7 did not look good at all.

It was down to the old war horse James Franklin to take the unit to safety from the precarious state. Franklin took heavy toll on Shahadat Hossain in the final over of the innings. The over yielded 24 runs with 3 sixes and a four. An unbeaten 44 off 31 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes from Franklin saw Rajshahi Kings post 124/7 in their 20 overs.

The highlight of the innings being the way Franklin almost batted alone for the major part of their innings. Mohammad Saifuddin was the pick of the bowlers with 3/12 in his 3 overs.

The Comilla Victorians were clear favorites to win the match. With the track being a batting pitch, the Victorians fancied their chance of second successive win. Imrul Kayes and Ahmed Shehzad walked in to the middle to kick start the things for Comilla Victorians. Kayes departed cheaply on 9 after facing 18 deliveries. Mehedi Hasan got the wicket in the 4th over. Shehzad was joined by West Indies veteran Marlon Samuels.

Both batsmen had a merry time at the crease in their last match. They seemed to carry the same form forward in this match too. Without taking much risks, they forged a 90 run stand for the 2nd wicket in just 69 balls. Ahmed Shehzad missed out on a well-deserved second consecutive fifty. He was caught by James Franklin off the bowling of Farhad Reza on 46. The innings came off 45 balls with 4 fours and a six.

Khalid Latif was the new man in for Comilla Victorians. Meanwhile, Samuels raced to his fifty in style. He hit Nazmul Islam down the track to bring his first fifty of the season in 39 balls. His unbeaten 55 off 41 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes sealed the game for the Comilla Victorians. They won by 8 wickets. This is their second consecutive win and both by the same margin. With the win, they manage to keep their hopes alive with a thin chance.

Brief Scores:

Rajshahi Kings 124/7 in 20 overs (Franklin 44*, Mominul 20, Saifuddin 3/12, Mortaza 2/24)

Comilla Victorians 125/2 in 18.4 overs (Samuels 55*, Shehzad 46, Reza 1/14, Hasan 1/27)