Dhaka: Pakistan recruit Haider Ali trumped his compatriot Iftikhar Ahmed with a six-laden knock as Chittagong Kings made a giant stride toward the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) playoffs, romping to a five-wicket win over Rangpur Riders at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Iftikhar with an unbeaten 47-ball 65-run knock lifted Rangpur Riders to 143-5 after a shaky start, but Haider helped Chittagong gun down the target in 17.4 overs, smashing 48 not out off just 18 balls. He closed the game with four successive sixes against his compatriot Akif Javed, steering the side to 148-5 for a crucial victory. Haider in total smote one four and six sixes.
After winning eight matches on the trot, Rangpur now lost three matches in a row. Chasing the victory target, Chittagong lost two wickets cheaply before Parvez Hossain Emon steadied the ship with 41 off 43. Emon shared 34 runs with skipper Mithun who made 20, after which he added a further 41 runs with Haider. After the dismissal of Emon, Haider plundered the bowlers all over the park to ensure the side’s victory.
Akif Javed and Mohammad Saifuddin grabbed two wickets apiece for Rangpur. Iftikhar’s knock, which included seven fours and three sixes, earlier gave Rangpur’s scoreboard some decent look. He added 75 runs with Mahedi Hasan in 46 balls for the unbeaten sixth wicket stand after the side was in troubling 68-5 in 12.2 overs. Mahedi was unbeaten on 22.
Put into bat first, Rangpur made a poor start with opener Steven Taylor continuing his horrendous form, being out for naught in the first over. Soumya Sarkar hammered 17 off 23 balls but failed to convert it to a big score. After his dismissal, Rangpur’s middle order fell like a pack of cards before Iftikhar came as the savior.
Fast bowler Syed Khaled Ahmed picked up 2-44 in four overs for Chittagong. The match is crucial for Chittagong to stay alive for the playoffs race. Rangpur, which lost the previous two matches, had already confirmed playoffs.