Dhaka, 3 Dec, Abnews: A brilliant batting display by Mohammad Shahzad and Mohammad Mithun enabled Rangpur Riders to record a 29-run victory over Barisal Bulls in the Bangladesh Premier League T20 held on Saturday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at Mirpur in Dhaka.
Chasing a winning target of 155 runs set by Rangpur, Barsial Bulls fell short as they were dismissed at 125 in 18.2 overs.
Barisal never enjoyed the momentum on way to their chase in the face of tight bowling display by the Rangpur bowlers. They lost wickets at regular intervals throughout their innings. Whenever Barisal's partnership seemed threatening, Rangpur bowlers got their breakthrough and pegged back the Bulls.
English opener Dawid Malan top scored with 30 runs while Thisara Perera added 24 for Barisal.
Falze Mahmud (21) and Shahriar Nafees (14) could not convert those into a big knock in the face of tight bowling display by the Rangpur.
Liam Dawson, Sohag Gazi, Rubel Hossain and Shahid Afridi all shared two wickets each conceding 11,12, 21 and 24 runs respectively.
Mohammad Shahzad of Rangpur Riders was named the player of the match for his impressive batting performance.
Earlier, a 76-run stand off 63 balls between Mohammad Shahzad and Mohammad Mithun helped Rangpur Riders to post a dependable total of 154, after Rangpur Raiders skipper Naeem Islam won the toss and elected to hat first.
The Pakistani recruit Shahzad hammered 48 off 40, with four fours and a six while Mithun finished on 38 off 41 with one six and a four, after Rangpur lost out-of-form Soumya Sarkar early in the game when Kamrul Islam Rabbi dismissed him in the fourth over for a 12-ball 17.
Following their stand, middle order batsman Ziaur Rahman contributed posted a 17-ball 23 towards the end, with two fours and a six to help the Riders cross the 150-run mark.
Thisara Perera , who took the wickets of Mithun and Anwar Ali, was Barisal's best performer finishing with a figures of 2 for 26 runs.
With 12 points from 11 games, the Riders have brighten their chances of making it through to the play-offs. If Rajshahi Kings lose in the evening to Chittagong Vikings, their place in the last four will be confirmed.
ABN/Sat-2nd/Latif/Mustafiz/ML