BPL 2017, Match Review 27: Sammy and Sami help Rajshahi Kings stun Comilla Victorians

In an important league encounter at the Bangladesh Premier League, Rajshahi Kings won the game by 30 runs. Darren Sammy’s electrifying knock followed by Mohammed Sami’s clinical bowling were crucial in determining success for the Rajshahi Kings.

Earlier in the day, it was skipper Darren Sammy who won the toss as the Rajshahi Kings elected to bat first. Mustafizur Rahman made his much-awaited comeback as he and Luke Wright were included in the playing XI. As for Comilla Victorians, Fakhar Zaman and Alok Kapali replaced Liton Das and Darren Bravo.

Batting first, the Kings were off to a stupendous start. While Mominul Haque was the crusader, Dwayne Smith was happy scoring at almost run a ball and rotating the strike. However, it didn’t last long as Smith was bowled by Mohammed Saifuddin. Mominul was run out in the very next over as Rajshahi were reduced to 47/2.

Luke Wright played a noteworthy inning in the middle. Zakir Hasan was looking good at the crease before he was caught and bowled by Al Amin Hossain. The likes of Mushfiqur Rahim and James Franklin too failed to make much of a difference for the Kings.

Coming out at No.7, not many would have thought Darren Sammy would create a significant impact. However, what followed was some stunning hits throughout the ground. Sammy hit a fabulous knock of 47 runs from just 14 balls. In his fantastic display of pinch hitting, he hit a boundary and six sixes.

The atrocities, in the end, meant that Rajshahi had a superb total of 185 runs on the board. For Comilla Victorians, Mohammed Saifuddin took three wickets but went for 32 runs in his last over which ultimately made the difference. Hasan Ali also got a couple of wickets but went for runs.

On the other hand, Comilla Victorians weren’t quite game for the target. They were reduced to 4/2 with Fakhar Zaman and Imrul Kayes back to the pavilion inside the first couple of overs. That’s when Tamim Iqbal and Shoaib Malik combined for a splendid 87-run partnership for the third wicket.

While Malik got out scoring a quickfire 45 (26), Tamim Iqbal continued to bat splendidly well. The game seemed to be well in the hands of Comilla Victorians before the 15th over. That’s when tragedy struck for them as Mohammed Sami bowled a dream over.

Accounting for the wickets of Tamim Iqbal, Alok Kapali and Mohammed Saifuddin in an over, Sami had Comilla Victorians on the backfoot. Jos Buttler who was their last hope also got dismissed in the next over. From 125/3 to 127/7, Comilla were in deep trouble.

The lower order couldn’t do much as the required rate went out of their reach. Eventually, they kept losing wickets before getting all out for 155 in the last over. They even failed to last their full quota of 20 overs as Rajshahi Kings attained a brilliant victory.

Mohammed Sami bowled a magnificent spell with figures of 4/9 in his quota of four overs. Dwayne Smith also got a couple of wickets. While Mustafizur went for some runs on his comeback game, he did manage to get two wickets. James Franklin and Mehidy Hasan also got a wicket each.

Darren Sammy was rewarded the man of the match for his timely knock in the end which proved to be significant. With this win, the Rajshahi Kings gained two points to the sixth position. As for Comilla Victorians, they remained at the second position.

Well done to the Sammys @imohammadsami great bowling bro.. 4/4/9 ???? pic.twitter.com/ij7ygm5EiA

— Daren Sammy (@darensammy88) November 25, 2017

Brief Scores:

Rajshahi Kings: 185 for 7 (Sammy 47*, Wright 42; Saifuddin 3/50)

Comilla Victorians: 155 (Tamim 63, Malik 45; Sami 4/9)