Chittagong Vikings faced their fourth consecutive defeat, this time at their home ground, in the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20's fourth edition as Dhaka Dynamites registered a 19-run win at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Thursday.
Chasing a relatively small total of 148/9, Chittagong ended up on 129/8 from their 20 overs with player of the match Mohammad Shahid bagging 3/23 from his four overs while Nasir Hossain, Matt Coles and Dwayne Bravo all took a wicket each.
Once again it was skipper Tamim Iqbal who was the only batsman to give the port city outfit some hope early on in their innings, but after he got out for 26 to West Indies seamer Bravo, Chittagong lost their way courtesy the fall of regular wickets.
Mahmudul Hasan, playing his first game of the tournament, was the second highest scorer with 20 but Chittagong struggled for the most parts of their chase as there were no significant partnerships.
Earlier, Dhaka made a flying start after being asked to bat first, riding on in-form opening batsman Mehedi Maruf, who scored 33 off 20 balls with half a dozen boundaries and a six.
Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara added 17 runs before being dismissed by English left-arm paceman Tymal Mills.
Dhaka's Mosaddek Hossain cuts one on way to his 26-ball 35
DHAKA TRIBUNENasir Hossain made a quick 20 while youngster Mosaddek Hossain smacked some lusty blows at the end, scoring a 26-ball 35, including two fours and equal number of sixes, while skipper Shakib al Hasan departed after adding 13 as Dhaka posted a fighting total at the end.
Chittagong pacer Mills took three wickets while Afghanistan recruit Mohammad Nabi also bowled well picking up three wickets, but it was not enough as Chittagong remained second from bottom in the points table.
On the other hand, Dhaka lead the standings with four wins from five games and are looking a strong contender in the ongoing money-spinning tournament.
BRIEF SCOREChittagong Vikings 129/8 (Tamim 26, Mahmudul 20, Shahid 3/23) lost to
Dhaka Dynamites 148/9 (Mosaddek 35, Maruf 33, Nabi 3/18)
by 19 runsWHAT THEY SAIDDhaka paceman Mohammad ShahidObviously we have the only T20 domestic competition, which is the BPL, and I am enjoying this format as well as my bowling. Although we did not have enough runs on the board, we bowled well and restricted our opponent. This was the key. But I think the wicket was good enough to chase down the target. I am not thinking that I am the leading wicket-taker as the tournament still has a long way to go. I am not thinking about getting a chance in limited-over cricket at the moment. I am willing to continue my performance in the coming days. It’s a T20 game so I have to use the variations in my bowling while in Test cricket, I try to bowl fast in one particular area.
Dhaka seamer Dwayne Bravo celebrates dismissing Chittagong skipper Tamim Iqbal
DHAKA TRIBUNEChittagong captain Tamim IqbalI am to be blamed for our defeat. I think my wicket was crucial at that point because it helped them to earn victory. I should have stayed there and ensured a better position for my team. Then, it would have been much easier for us to chase the target.
Chittagong opening batsman Jahurul IslamOur main problem is the batting department. I think it was a good enough wicket to chase the target of 149 against Dhaka. Our bowlers bowled really well. But I think we were unable to utilise the first power-play. We went on to lose a wicket during and after the power-play. We should have taken more responsibility with the bat and played more calculatedly.