Rangpur Riders ascended to the top of the BPL standings with two victories in the third week of play.
At 10 points, they are joined by Chattogram Challengers, while defending champions Comilla Victorians are eight points away from their final match. This week marked the first time that Khulna Tigers lost points, whereas Sylhet Strikers won two games, both of which were against Durdanto Dhaka. Several of the week’s highlights are listed below.
Babar, Rizwan, Malik, Wasim, Nawaz leave for PSL
Rangpur, similar to other teams, will be confronted with the departure of the Pakistan athletes while they are at their peak. PSL clubs will be awaiting their arrival this week, in preparation for the February 17 competition. Mohammad Nawaz, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shoaib Malik, and Mohammad Wasim will all depart the BPL. Given that the BPL concludes on March 1, in the midst of the PSL season, their return is improbable.
Malik, one of the Pakistani athletes, had an unforgettable week. Following a brief dispute between the two squads, he rejoined Fortune Barishal in the BPL. Malik completed a tense match against the league champions at the time, Khulna Tigers, with an unbeaten 41 off 25 balls after taking 2 for 24. Only the second game of the season was it in the close.
To secure the victory, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Malik scored 18 runs off the final over bowled by Dasun Shanaka.
Additionally, Shakib Al Hasan returned as a top-order batsman during the week. Before being dismissed for 3, he amassed 34 off 20 deliveries at No. 3 for Rangpur in their 60-run victory over Dhaka. Sylhet was also defeated by Rangpur by 77 runs after being bundled out for 85.
Aamer Jamal was the driving force behind Comilla’s 34-run triumph over Khulna. The Pakistani fast bowler took the first five-for of the season as Comilla captain Litton Das scored 45 off 30 balls to return among the runs. Comilla also secured a seven-wicket victory over Chattogram Challengers by bowling them out for 72.
Batter of the week – Mohammad Naim
Mohammad Naim’s paradoxical nature persisted throughout this BPL. He has amassed the most sixes (12) among Bangladeshi batsmen. Although he has got Dhaka off to several strong starts, his BPL statistics for the season are 192 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 125.49. Naim’s inability to convert that corner and generate substantial scores as an opener must be discouraging, especially in a Twenty20 World Cup year when Bangladesh is still searching for powerful batsmen.
Bowler of the week – Aamer Jamal
Following his exploits in Australia, Jamal recorded 5 for 23 in his final appearance for Comilla, which was against Khulna. Subsequently, he dismissed the perilous Evin Lewis and captured the wickets of fellow countrymen Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf. His five-for was completed with the scalps of Nasum Ahmed and Nahidul Islam.
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