An ideal team performance earned Chattogram Challengers their second win in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League as they defeated Khulna Tigers by 25 runs in the evening game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Monday.
Opener Kennar Lewis struck 25 off 14 balls to set the tone at the top while Benny Howell made an unbeaten 34 off 20 balls and skipper Mehidy Hasan scored 30 0ff 23 balls to power Chattogram to 190-7 in 20 overs.
In reply, Khulna could only make 165-9 in their 20 overs with Yasir Ali top-scoring with 40 off 26 balls.
Just like the batting department, there was no standout performer among the Chattogram bowlers as Mehidy, Rezaur Rahman and Shoriful Islam bagged two wickets each.
Sent to bat, Chattogram’s opening duo of Lewis and Will Jacks took 23 runs off the very first over bowled by Sohrawordi Shuvo.
Jacks struck a quickfire 17 off seven balls before falling to Kamrul in the second over.
Lewis also fell to the same bowler but only after taking the team to 52 in just 3.4 overs.
Afif Hossain (15 off 13 balls) didn’t hang around too long and then Mehidy and Sabbir added 48 runs for the fourth wicket in a steady partnership.
The innings lost some momentum with the departures of Mehidy and Sabbir, who made 32 off 33 balls, but for the third match in a row Howell came with the goods for them in the slog overs.
Perusing a daunting 191, Khulna found themselves reduced to 76-4 inside 12 overs, with the required rate already edging towards 14 runs per over.
Yasir and Sikander Raza, who came in as the concussion substitute for Andre Fletcher who got hit on the head by a bouncer from Rejaur in the seventh over and left the field as retired hurt, tried their best, with a 43-run partnership off just 24 balls.
Rejaur broke the stand by removing Sikander, who made 22 off 12 balls, and just one ball later he dismissed Thisara Perera for a duck.
Yasir played till the 19th over, but could only reduce the margin of defeat.
-With New Age input
