BPL 4, Match 24 Review: Nabi, Malik shine as Vikings cruise over Bulls

Contrasting fortunes differentiated Barisal Bulls and Chittagong Vikings in their clash tonight. The Vikings had a thumping win over Comilla Victorians last night. The Bulls, on the other hand, had suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Khulna Titans in their previous match.

When it comes to head-to-head clash, it is the Barisal Bulls who nosed ahead. They beat the Vikings by 7 wickets in the early days of the tournament. Both teams have come a long since then. A good game awaited and a Mohammad Nabi show was on the cards too!

Earlier in the match, it was Chittagong Vikings skipper Tamim Iqbal who won the toss and opted to bat first. They went with the same overseas combination that worked for them in the last match. The Bulls went in with just 3 overseas players – Dawid Malan, Thisara Perera and Rayad Emrit.

The dynamic duo of Dwayne Smith and Tamim Iqbal were yet to haunt the opposition this season. Smith, in particular, had a very quiet season. The openers looked solid but Tamim eventually perished a couple of deliveries before the powerplay ended. Tamim’s run-a-ball 19 was halted by Kamrul Islam Rabbi to bring Anamul Haque at the crease.

The Chittagong Vikings had 43 runs on the board by the end of the powerplay. Smith took the charge and slowly aggravated the pace of his innings. Meanwhile, he lost the support of Anamul (11 off 13 balls) in the 11th over as Perera accounted for his dismissal. In walked the veteran Pakistani batsman Shoaib Malik.

Malik looked in an ominous touch on the day. Every ball that he hit seemed to be boundary-bound. Smith eased past his first fifty of the season. It came off just 28 balls. What a relief it was for the Chittagong Vikings. Perera struck again in the 16th over to end Smith’s 69. His knock came off 49 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes.

Mohammad Nabi (4) had a rare failure in the tournament as Rayad Emrit got rid of him cheaply. It was all a one man show thereafter. Shoaib Malik bludgeoned the Barisal Bulls bowling lineup to parts. With 63 off just 30 balls, Malik stormed the Chittagong Vikings to 185/5 in 20 overs. He smashed 9 fours and 2 sixes during his onslaught.

The target was high one and it needed a very sensible batting. But the Barisal Bulls were in no mood to come up with any resistance. Chittagong Vikings found Nabi to be their hero yet again. Nabi sent both the openers – Dawid Malan and Nadif Chowdury – in the 2nd over of the match. Subhasis Roy got rid of Shahriar Nafees in the next over as the top three batsmen got out in single digits.

Nabi struck again in his 2nd over to send Jeevan Mendis packing. With 31/4 in the powerplay, things did not look good for Barisal Bulls. It got worse when Mushfiqur tried to break the shackles but only managed to give his wicket to Taskin Ahmed. Rahim’s 19 came off 14 balls with 2 fours and a six. Perera and Emrit followed soon to have Bulls reeling on 39/7 in 8.1 overs.

Taijul Islam and Enamul Haque then added 42 key runs for the 8th wicket. The partnership saved the Bulls from a massive embarrassment on the day. Taijul was dismissed on 12 (14) by Subhasis Roy in the 14th over.

Enamul Haque led a lone war with an unbeaten 42 off 37 balls that included 4 sixes and a four. But it was never enough as Barisal Bulls bundled out for 107 in 18.4 overs. Nabi was the pick of the bowlers with 3/16 to his name. Chittagong Vikings won by 78 runs.

Brief Scores:

Chittagong Vikings 185/5 in 20 overs (Smith 69, Malik 63, Rabbi 2/29, Perera 2/37)

Barisal Bulls 107/10 in 18.4 overs (Enamul 42*, Mushfiqur 19, Nabi 3/16, Roy 2/16)