Comilla Victorians defeated Khulna Titans by 80 runs riding on a brilliant unbeaten hundred from opener Evin Lewis and hattrick from pacer Wahab Riaz during their BPL 6 match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium in Chittagong on Monday.
Batting first, Comilla posted a huge total of 237 for five - the second highest this season and in BPL history as well - in their stipulated 20 overs.
Opener Evin Lewis struck a superb 109-run innings off just 49 balls with five fours and ten sixes and remained unbeaten, despite struggling with a hamstring injury from the first over.
Imrul Kayes scored 39 while Shamsur Rahman scored 28 in the late stage.
Playing XI of Khulna Titans and Comilla Victorians. #KTvCV
— BPLT20 (@Official_BPLT20) January 28, 2019
Watch BPL LIVE on GTV & Rabbithole App!#BPL #BPLSeason6 pic.twitter.com/fsjDKW3dGo
In reply, Khulna were all out for 157 in 18.5 overs as Comilla pacer Wahab Riaz took a hattrick in the nineteenth over.
Brendon Taylor was the top scorer for the Titans with 50 runs off 33 balls.
In-form all-rounder Shahid Afridi took three wickets for Comilla.
Lewis smashes four sixes against Saddam
Opener Evin Lewis was not a hundred percent fit as he was struggling with a hamstring injury. He returned to the playing eleven after four matches and struggled in the first over while taking a single. But the left-hander played some outstanding shots in his century and remained unbeaten until the end. The Windies opener smashed ten sixes in his superb knock and four of them came in the same over against young pacer Mohammad Saddam. Lewis smashed six in the first ball of the fourteenth over which was a no ball. The free-hit in the next ball went for a maximum again. The other two came in the third and sixth ball of the over. It was brilliant batting by Lewis.
Congratulations to Evin Lewis, Forth centurion in the 6th edition of BPL 2019. #CVvKT#BPL #BPLseason6 pic.twitter.com/cr9ASidoAt
— BPLT20 (@Official_BPLT20) January 28, 2019
Saddam concedes the highest in BPL history
Khulna Titans’ Noor Alam Saddam was picked against the Victorians and this was his first appearance this season. But it turned into a horrible start for the right-arm pacer as he conceded 59-runs in his four overs against Comilla. It was the highest number of runs conceded by a bowler in BPL history as the previous highest was Al Amin Hossain and Mehedi Hasan Rana of Sylhet Sixers against Chittgong Vikings and Dhaka Dynamites, also in this season. Saddam, the Khulna pacer, conceded 5, 8, 28 and 18 runs in his four overs against Comilla. Another young pacer Shoriful Islam also conceded 53 runs against Comilla today. It was a day to forget for both young pacers from Khulna camp.
Taylor the lone wolf
Chasing a massive 238-run target, Khulna started their innings with Brendon Taylor and Junaid Siddique. Zimbabwean Taylor has been in good form with the bat for the Titans and yet again he scored the majority of the runs for Khulna. Taylor scored 50 off 30 balls with five fours and one six today. But his effort was not enough to chase the huge total and no other batsmen able to give him support in the middle to keep on chasing with the required run rate. Taylor’s previous innings in the ongoing season have been 34, 48, 32, 28 so far. It was a lone fight for the right hander in the end.
Wahab grabs a hattrick
Pakistani recruit Wahab Riaz picked up the second hattrick of his T20 career in 19th over of the innings against Khulna on Monday. The left-arm pacer took the wickets of David Wiese, Taijul Islam and Mohammad Saddam in the third fourth and fifth ball of the over. Riaz took a hattrick against Gloucestershire for Kent during Friends Life T20 in 2011. This is the fourth hattrick in BPL history and the second of this season. The other three bowlers who took hattricks in the BPL are - Mohammad Sami for Duronto Rajshahi against Dhaka Gladiators in 2012, Al Amin Hossian for Barisal Bulls against Sylhet Stars in 2015 and Aliss Islam for Dhaka Dynamites against Rangpur Riders in 2019.
BPL standing
Comilla move to number two in the points table with 12 points with six wins in nine matches. Khulna remain bottom of the points table with four points and nine defeats from 11 matches.
Comilla Victorians won by 80 runs against Khulna Titans #CVvKT#BPL #BPLseason6 pic.twitter.com/R8m8DoLRZA
— BPLT20 (@Official_BPLT20) January 28, 2019
Comilla Victorians INNINGS R B
Tamim c Wiese b Mahmudullah 25 29
Lewis not out 109 49
Anamul c Najmul b Mahmudullah 0 1
Imrul lbw b Shoriful 39 21
Perera c Wiese b Brathwaite 11 4
Afridi c Taijul b Brathwaite 1 2
Shamsur not out 28 15
Extras (lb 2, nb 1, w 21) 24
TOTAL (5 Wickets,20 Overs) 237
Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Tamim Iqbal, 7.2 ov), 2-58 (Anamul Haque, 7.3 ov), 3-155 (Imrul Kayes, 14.3 ov), 4-174 (NLTC Perera, 15.2 ov), 5-178 (Shahid Afridi, 15.6 ov)
Bowling
Shoriful Islam 4-0-53-1, Mohammad Saddam 4-0-59-0, D Wiese 4-0-49-0, Mahmudullah 4-0-32-2, CR Brathwaite 4-0-42-2
Khulna Titans INNINGS R B
Taylor c & b Afridi 50 33
Junaid c Shamsur b Mahedi 27 24
Malan c Mahedi b Afridi 13 10
Mahmudullah b Afridi 11 7
Brathwaite c Saifuddin b Perera 22 13
Najmul c sub(Dawson) b Saifuddin 14 12
Wiese c Saifuddin b Wahab 8 8
Ariful run out (Afridi) 2 2
Taijul b Wahab 1 4
Shoriful not out 0 0
Saddam c Tamim b Wahab 0 1
Extras (lb 7, nb 1, w 1) 9
TOTAL (All Out,18.5 Overs) 157
Fall of wickets: 1-55 (Junaid Siddique, 5.3 ov), 2-79 (DJ Malan, 8.4 ov), 3-95 (Mahmudullah, 10.4 ov), 4-116 (BRM Taylor, 12.6 ov), 5-143 (CR Brathwaite, 15.5 ov), 6-144 (Najmul Hossain Shanto, 16.2 ov), 7-147 (Ariful Haque, 17.2 ov), 8-157 (D Wiese, 18.3 ov), 9-157 (Taijul Islam, 18.4 ov), 10-157 (Mohammad Saddam, 18.5 ov)
Bowling
Mohammad Saifuddin 3-0-29-1, Mahedi Hasan 4-0-28-1, Mohammad Shahid 2-0-24-0, Wahab Riaz 2.5-0-14-3, Shahid Afridi 4-0-27-3, NLTC Perera 3-0-28-1
Victorians won by 80 runs
MoM: Evin Lewis (CV)
