Rangpur thrash Barishal in high-voltage BPL clash

FE Team | Published: January 03, 2025 00:32:46

Rangpur Riders crushed defending champions Fortune Barishal by eight wickets in Bangladesh Premier League's (BPL) first big match of the season at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the city on Thursday, report agencies.
The much-anticipated showdown between Barishal and Rangpur, two of the strongest teams on paper in this year's BPL, ended in a one-sided affair.
For Rangpur, Saif Hassan scored 62 not out and Alex Hales scored 49 not out as Barishal's Iqbal Hossain Emon took 2 wickets for 41 runs.
Earlier, a superb bowling effort of Rangpur Riders helped Rangpur Riders dismiss Barishal for 124.
Khushdil Shah led the charge with 3-18 while speedster Nahid Rana and Iftikhar Ahmed claimed two wickets apiece to complement him.
Put into bat first, Barishal lost Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy cheaply before Nahid Rana rattled skipper Tamim Iqbal's stump with a searing yorker. These three dismissals in quick succession left Barishal to 43-3 and they never could recover from the collapse.
Khushdil Shah ripped out the middle order but Mohammad Nabi played 21 runs from 19 balls to help the side propel past 100.