BPL 2015 Match#24: Rangpur Riders Vs Sylhet Superstars Played at SBNCS Dhaka on 7 December 2015
Rangpur Riders 60/2 (Shakib Al Hasan 29*, Mohammad Shahid 2/18) beat Sylhet Superstar 59 All Out Arafat (Sunny 4/14, Mohammad Nabi 3/15, Shakib 2/25) by 8 wickets
Player of the Match: Arafat Sunny (Rangpur Riders)
Three pronged high quality spin attack of Rangpur Riders (Sunny, Nabi and Shakib) required only 11.5 overs for running through pathetic looking Superstars batting dismissing them to the second lowest team total 59 of BPL. In response Riders galloped over them in 9.5 overs scoring 60/2 with ICC number one all-rounder of all formats Shakib leading the charge with an unbeaten 29.
This win enabled Riders to confirm semifinal berth joining Victorians who assured their place early in the day. Superstars technically have an outside chance. But the way their batting fell apart it seems highly unlikely that they can regroup and win all their remaining matches. Their BPL mission 2015 is almost over.
Arafat Sunny took his second four-wicket haul in T20s, giving away just 14 runs in four overs while Mohammad Nabi took three wickets. Shakib Al Hasan picked up two wickets while Thisara Perera took one.
Winning the toss and electing to field Shakib launched all spin attack setting Sunny and himself from either ends. Straightway spinners struck killer punch. Top order batsmen were blown away with virtually no resistance. Munaweera, Junaid, Nurul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Ravi Bopara and Shahid Afridi batted like novices and threw away their wickets. No applications and no commitments were in view. It was completely irresponsible batting. The team that loses 7/38 by the 9th over must not deserve opportunity to go deeper in a T20 tournament. The wicket was slow turner with balls occasionally jumping from a length. But in no stretch of imagination was unplayable. There was hardly any justification that Superstars batting having some established international players crumbled like cookies as they did.
Daren Sammy dropped an easy catch of Munaweera in the fourth ball of the first over. Unfortunately the very next ball Munaweera played the wrong line and was cleaned up. The other opener Junaid who played a match winning innings in the previous match gave a return catch to Sunny. The stage was ideally set for Mushfiqur for a characteristic fighting innings. He voluntarily gave away captaincy to concentrate in batting. But unfortunately he looked in a hurry. In a rush of blood he tried blasting out Sunny and holed out to Mukhter Ali.
Nurul Hasan, Bopara or even Afridi could not survive the Tsunami of Riders attack. Superstars were swept away like straws in flood water. It was miserable school boyish batting by superstars. Sunny got his second four wickets haul (4/12), Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi took 3/15 while Shakib was a bit expensive with 2/25. Superstars had no answer to high quality spin bowling. The score of 59 all out was the nearest second lowest to Bulls 58 on the previous day.
In the chase, Mohammad Shahid took two wickets - getting Lendl Simmons to edge to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim in the second over and having Soumya Sarkar caught at deep square-leg in the sixth over, before Rangpur wrapped up the chase with consummate ease as Shakib anchored the innings with an unbeaten 29.
The win earned Rangpur Riders a semifinal berth alongside Comilla Victorians. Two more places are still to be decided. Bulls and Dynamites are in the contention. Theoretically, Superstars and even Vikings also have outside chance. But unless something dramatic happens, Superstars and Vikings are already out of the race for BPL 2015 top honors.
BDST: 1013 HRS, DCE 08, 2015
SR
