The Dhaka Dynamites have marched into the final of Bangladesh Premier League 2016, defeating Khulna Titans by 54 runs on Tuesday. The Titans can still make it to the title-decider as they will get a second chance when they meet Rajshahi Kings, who defeated Chittagong Vikings, in the second qualifier on Wednesday.
All eyes were on Dynamites and Titans, with both teams comprising of some big stars in their respective line-ups. A high-scoring contest was expected between the two best sides of the BPL 2016 group stages, but it was not to be as batsmen of both teams were not at their explosive best in the second match on Tuesday.
The Dynamites did not get off to a great start with the bat, as they lost quality wickets of Kumar Sangakkara and Even Lewis among others in the first four overs. So, they were in trouble from early on and were looking down the tunnel, with the score reading 89 for six wickets down.
West Indian all-rounders Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo played a good hand in the lower order to put up a decent total of 140 runs. Russell scored 46 while Bravo contributed with 23 runs.
In reply to that total, the Titans got off to a decent start without losing a single wicket. Their wickets, suddenly, began to fall like nine pins as they moved from 34 for the loss of no wicket to 68 for six wickets. Fletcher was the only top order player to perform decently, scoring 28 runs. They were bundled out 86 runs, but the Titans need to play better cricket in the second qualifier against the Kings if they are to reach the final of BPL 2016.
Earlier in the eliminator, Darren Sammy played a brilliant knock, scoring 27-ball 55, to help the Kings defeat Vikings by three wickets. It was a huge effort from the West Indian to help his side cross the finishing line after they were tottering at 53 for the loss of four wickets at one point in the game while chasing 143 runs to win. His half-century stunned the Vikings, who were in a comfortable position to stay alive in BPL 2016, but the brilliance of Sammy caught them unawares and evicted them from the competition.
The Kings, who won the important toss, decided to bowl first and the decision proved to be right as they dismissed the dangerous Dwayne Smith for a duck in the third over. But the Vikings were on a roll after that, with Tamim Iqbal and Chris Gayle treating the Kings bowlers with disdain, thrashing them all around the park.
The two were playing such cricket that the score of above 160 looked certain, but the Vikings lost Gayle in the 11th over for 44 runs. His stay at the crease was glittered with two fours and five huge sixes. The score read 82 for two then, but they lost wickets at regular intervals, including that of Iqbal, who scored 46-ball 51.
With the failure of the middle and the lower order batsmen to consolidate the wonderful start, they only scored 142 in their allotted 20 overs. They lost their last eight wickets for 60 runs, and it was Kesrick Williams, who did major damage with the ball, picking up four wickets.
The Kings were required to score at the rate of just over seven runs per over to achieve a win, and for that to happen, the start was going to be of utmost importance. Unfortunately, the Kings got off to a poor start, as their batsmen could not cope with the new ball.
Opener Nurul Hasan was in search of a partner, who could support him at the other end. The right-hander also lost his wicket in the 11th over, making it almost impossible for the Kings to beat Vikings.
The Kings were not in a mood to give up as Darren Sammy used his big hitting skills to bring his team back into the game, and an interesting match loomed large. Now, 49 runs were required in the last six overs, with four wickets remaining.
The West Indian was at his best, hitting fours on a consistent basis and moved closer to the target, improving the Kings' chances of scripting a stunning win. With some good contribution by Farhad Reza, who scored 11-ball 19, the Kings crossed the finishing line as Sammy turned out to be the hero, with 55 runs from 27 balls.
