CR vs COV

That brings us to the close of the first encounter of BPL for today. The standings in the points table have not changed but what has definitely changed is the chances of qualification of Chattogram Challengers with the Comilla Victorians further solidifying their position at the second spot in the table denting a huge blow to the run rate of Chattogram Challengers. We have the Khulna Tigers taking on the Rangpur Riders for the second match of the day. Do join us for that, for now this is the pair of Sourabh Agrawal and Mohul Bhowmick taking your leave! Good bye!

Litton Das (Comilla VIctorians' captain) - The way Jacks and Moeen bhai batted, it was really great to see. When I go into bat, I always try to be positive. It was a combined decision to play Rishad Hossain and it was very good to see him bowl so well.

Will Jacks (Player of the match) - Some pancakes (for breakfast, laughs)! Great game, really enjoyed it. Coming from Dhaka, where the pitch can be bowler-friendly this was a great wicket for the batters. You could tell it from the first over when the left-arm spinner was bowling, it was really skidding on and was really easy for us, the batters. I was trying to hide myself, but ended up being at the right position on 5 occasions (talking about the 5 catches he took).

Comilla VIctorians won by 73 runs
Will Jacks 108*(53) | Rishad Hossain 4/22(4)
Tanzid Hasan 41(24) | Shohidul Islam 2/49(4)

Comilla Victorians have blown away the home team, Chattogram Challengers and have handed them a heavy defeat by a whopping margin of 73 runs. The Challengers have capitulated in front of their home crowd and have gone down rather tamely in what seemed to be a promising chase at one point of time.

Having come out to chase a mammoth score of 240, Chattogram got off to a solid start as their openers Tanzid and Brown took their team to 80 in 7.2 overs before the Fizz removed Tanzid Hasan to provide the first wicket for the Comilla Victorians. The floodgates really opened from that point of time as Comilla kept on chipping away with wickets with Rishad Hossain, the young-leg spinner getting 4 wickets in a wonderful spell. Shykat Ali provided a glimmer of hope to Chattogram as he made 36 off 11 deliveries but he was removed by Moeen Ali who folded up the Chattogram innings with a hat-trick at the end picking up 4 wickets himself. 

Moeen Ali and Will Jacks combined to take 2 wickets of Chattogram Challenegers with the later picking up 5 catches in total, but it was the combination of the Englishmen in the first innings of the match which had set it all up for the Comilla Victorians. Jacks scored an unbeaten 109* along with Moeen's unbeaten 53* and the duo put on 128 in less than 9 overs to power Comilla to 239, joint highest-ever BPL total, in the first innings. All of this came after the Comilla skipper, Litton Das, provided them a rapid start and got a fifty for himslef in the meantime. None of the Chattogram bowlers exuded control and they were equally poor on the field dropping multiple catches of the likes of the centurion Will Jacks as well as Moeen Ali.

Shuvagota Hom (Comilla Victorians' captain): It was a huge target to chase down. We had a good start today but somehow could not continue. One of us in the top order has to play till the end in order to chase such a big total. I don't think choosing to bowl was a wrong call since it was a good pitch. We missed a few chances, and I think that was it. We dropped a few crucial chances as well. Their top order batters carried the innings till the end but we could not do so. 

16.3 Moeen Ali to Bilal Khan, BOWLED HIM! COMILLA VICTORIANS WIN THIS GAME! Pushed through on off and middle, comes back in. He tries to whip it away to the on side but does not connect at all. The ball sneaks past him and shatters the stumps altogether. Moeen gets his hattrick after all!

Bilal Khan b Moeen Ali 0 (1b, 0x4, 0x6).

16.2 Moeen Ali to Al Amin Hossain, GONE! ANOTHER WICKET! Tossed up at a length outside off, goes straight through. Hossain leans forward and carves it towards long on. However, he does not connect too well and ends up hitting it straight to the man!

Al Amin Hossain c Will Jacks b Moeen Ali 0 (1b, 0x4, 0x6).

16.2 Moeen Ali to Shohidul Islam, STUMPED HIM! Tossed up outside off, angles away. Islam comes down the track and tries to carve it up and over cover. However, he misses the ball completely. The keeper collects the ball and whips the bails off in a flash!

Shohidul Islam st Jaker Ali b Moeen Ali 2 (4b, 0x4, 0x6).

The writing seems to be on the wall for the Chattogram Challengers now. Rishad has bowled out an outstanding spell and in the last over of his spell, he has got the only hope of Chattogram, their skipper, Shuvagata Hom.

15.4 Rishad Hossain to Shuvagata Hom, GONE! BIG WICKET! Tossed up at a length on off, turns away. Hom plays a reverse sweep and ends up hitting it straight to the hands of the fielder at short third man for a simple catch! The skipper of Chattogram has to depart.

Shuvagata Hom c Tanvir Islam b Rishad Hossain 19 (12b, 3x4, 0x6).

15.3 Rishad Hossain to Shuvagata Hom, FOUR! Back of a length on middle and leg. Hom tries to pull it away towards short fine leg for a boundary! That was well played.