Chittagong Vikings defeated defending champion Rangpur Riders by three wickets in the Bangladesh Premier League season six opener in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Saturday.
Chasing 99 runs, the Vikings reached their target with five balls to spare.
Afghan recruit Mohammad Shahzad and South African Cameron Delport opened the innings for the Vikings.
Rangpur skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza initiated the first blow by picking up the wicket of Delport (eight) in the third over.
Chittagong Vikings clinch their First Win in a low scoring battle in the opener of Season 6 BPL - Bangladesh Premier League 2019 against the Rangpur Riders. Many more wins to come! Congratulations.#CTGVikings #BPL2019 #DBLceramics pic.twitter.com/JgXeIKJBpP
— Chittagong Vikings (@CtgVikings) January 5, 2019
All eyes were on Mohammad Ashraful, who came out to bat at No 3 for the Vikings, as the right-hander returned to the BPL frame after five years due to his ban for match-fixing.
But Ashraful survived five balls and scored three before being dismissed by pacer Shafiul Islam in the fourth over.
Chittagong lost quick wickets in the middle-order in pursuit of the low target, but eventually managed to chase it down in the last over of the game.
Shahzad was the top-scorer with 27 off 23 balls with four boundaries, while captain Mushfiqur Rahim made 25 off 31 deliveries.
Mashrafe took two wickets conceding 24 runs.
Chittagong all-rounder Robbie Frylinck was adjudged man of the match for his all-round performance.
Mohammad Ashraful scored three off five deliveries for @CtgVikings in his return to the Bangladesh Premier League, against @ridersofhope.https://t.co/yFPg44GiuI#BPLT20 #BPL #BANGLADESHCRICKET #CRICKET #BANGLADESH #MOHAMMAD #ASHRAFUL #MOHAMMADASHRAFUL #CHITTAGONG #RANGPUR #BCB
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) January 5, 2019
Earlier, Mushfiq won the toss and elected to field first.
Rangpur were off to a disastrous start as they lost four wickets within four overs with just 18 runs on the board.
Frylinck bagged three among them, while Abu Jayed took the other.
England opener Alex Hales was trapped in front for a golden duck, in the second ball of the second over.
Rangpur were unable to script a turnaround from such a poor start, and only two batsmen managed to reach double figure in the end.
The Riders eventually posted 98 in their allotted 20 overs, losing all of their wickets.
Ravi Bopara added some late runs to save the reigning champion from further embarrassment.
Mohammad Ashraful, once the poster boy of @BCBtigers cricket, is returning to the Bangladesh Premier League’s sixth season after serving five-year ban for his involvement in match-fixing in 2013.https://t.co/NqL8uDjjNV#BCBTIGERS #TIGERS #BCB #BANGLADESH #CRICKET #ASHRAFUL #BPL
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) January 4, 2019
Bopara scored 44 off 47 balls with three fours and a couple of sixes.
Besides Bopara, only Sohag Gazi (21 off 17 balls) reached double digit for the Riders.
Frylinck was the main destroyer for Rangpur as the Vikings pacer took four wickets giving away 14 runs.
Jayed and Nayeem Hasan notched two wickets each.
1ST MATCH, CHVvRR
RANGPUR RIDERS INNINGS R B
Maruf c Sanjamul b Frylinck 1 10
Hales lbw b Frylinck 0 1
Mithun b Frylinck 0 2
Rossouw c Shahzad b Jayed 7 6
Bopara c Mosaddek b Jayed 44 47
Howell c Jayed b Nayeem 8 11
Farhad lbw b Nayeem 3 9
Mashrafe c Shahzad b Khaled 2 11
Gazi c Shahzad b Frylinck 21 17
Nazmul run out (Shahzad/Jayed) 4 5
Shafiul not out 1 1
Extras (lb 2, w 5) 7
Total (20 Overs) 98 all out
Fall Of Wickets
1-3 (Hales), 2-3 (Mithun), 3-10 (Rossouw), 4-14 (Maruf), 5-25 (Howell), 6-31 (Farhad), 7-35 (Mashrafe), 8-84 (Gazi), 9-95 (Bopara), 10-98 (Nazmul)
Bowling
Jayed 4-0-30-2, Frylinck 4-0-14-4, Khaled 4-0-15-1, Nayeem 4-0-10-2, Sanjamul 4-1-27-0
CHITTAGONG VIKINGS R B
Shahzad lbw b Howell 27 23
Delport c Hales b Mashrafe 8 8
Ashraful c Hales b Shafiul 3 5
Mushfiq c Howell b Nazmul 25 31
Raza run out (Mashrafe/Mithun) 3 13
Mosaddek c Rossouw b Farhad 2 7
Nayeem b Mashrafe 10 10
Frylinck not out 12 10
Sanjamul not out 7 8
Extras (w 4) 4
Total (19.1 Overs) 101/7
Fall Of Wickets
1-15 (Delport), 2-19 (Ashraful), 3-51 (Shahzad), 4-60 (Raza), 5-62 (Mosaddek), 6-77 (Nayeem), 7-85 (Mushfiq)
Bowling
Mashrafe 4-0-24-2, Gazi 3-0-18-0, Shafiul 2.1-0-19-1, Nazmul 4-0-17-1, Howell 4-0-13-1, Farhad 2-0-10-1
Chittagong won by three wickets
MoM: Robbie Frylinck (CHV)
