BSS, Sylhet :
Chittagong Vikings shrugged off their previous match defeat as they bounced back to register an 11-run victory over Rangpur Riders in the seventh match of the tournament held on Wednesday at Sylhet
International Cricket Stadium.
Chasing a winning target off 167 runs set by Chittagong, Rangpur were fall short as they were restricted at 155 for 8 in 20 overs.
English batsman Ravi Bopara top scored with 32-ball off 38 runs and shared an important 49-runs fourth wicket stand with Shahriar Nafees (23-ball off 26), before Taskin Ahmed brought a massive blow on Rangpur innings picking up three wickets in the same overs.
He first sent back to Nafees in 12.4 overs and got the wicket of Samiullah Shenwari for duck in the next ball and completed his three wicket haul taking the wicket of Bopara in 13 overs, leaving Rangpur in a deep trouble.
After the departure of two set batsmen, Rangpur could not come back in the match.
M Mithiun (23) and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (13) were the other notable scorers for Rangpur.
Taskin Ahmed was the pick of Chittagong bowlers as he grabbed three wickets conceding 31 runs. He was well supported by Luis Reece who took two wickets giving away 26 runs.
Earlier, a blistering batting display by opener Luke Ronchi steered Chittagong Vikings to post a competitive total of 166 for 4 in 20 overs, after they were forced to bat Mashrafe Mortaza’s Rangpur Riders.
The New Zealand opener started the innings with blaze as he hit Mashrafe for two sixes in the very first over and in the next over he proceeded to hit Sohag Gazi hitting three more boundaries.
He was too cruel to left-arm off spinner Nazmul Hasan to whom he punished three sixes and a four in the third over of the innings.
Ronchi’s breezy innings helped Chittagong to reach 63 runs in just five overs, despite another opener Soumya Sarkar (7) was removed by Mortaza.
The 36-year right handed batsman Ronchi kept hitting the ball all over the park before he perished to Ravi Bopara in the ninth overs after a 35-ball 78 that studded with seven towering sixes and seven fours. Chittagong were scoring at 11.11 runs per over and had notched up 99 runs before Ronchi fell
but after his departure, Rangpur were able to pull down the Vikings scoring rate.
Bopara then sent back to Dilshan Munaweera (20) in the 11th over while Pakistani Misbah-ul-Haq contributed 32-ball off 31 as Lasith Malinga, Mashrafe and Bopara’s death overs bowling restricted Vikings to a 166.
