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January 24, 2024
Shoriful Islam claimed the first hat-trick of his T20 career, helping new franchise Durdanto Dhaka start with a victory.
The first week of the 2023-24 BPL season has already seen an early upset, a hat trick, and two thrilling chases. Also notable is that all eight games have ended in successful chases.
Comilla Victorians secured a thrilling four-wicket victory against Fortune Barishal in Mirpur, with the match concluding on the penultimate delivery. Imrul Kayes led the chase with a steady 52 off 41 balls before Matthew Forde sealed the win by hitting Khaled Ahmed for a four and a six in the final over.
Meanwhile, Khulna Tigers emerged as the table-toppers, boasting a superior net run rate over Chattogram Challengers, who have played one more game than Khulna. In their second season match, Khulna confidently chased down 188 to secure a convincing win against Barishal.
With eight wickets in hand and two overs remaining, Shai Hope struck the winning boundary. Hope, who played a quickfire cameo of 25 not out from 10 balls, teamed up effectively with Evin Lewis and Anamul Haque in Khulna’s commanding victory. Anamul contributed 63 out of 44 deliveries. At the same time, Lewis smashed 53 off 22 balls, with 50 of those runs coming in boundaries.
Durdanto Dhaka, the sole new franchise of this season, began their campaign with a victory over defending champions Comilla in the tournament opener. Shoriful Islam, named Player of the Match for Durdanto, claimed the first hat-trick of his T20 career. At the same time, Mohammad Naim contributed 52 off 40 balls.
On the second day of the season, Barishal’s successful chase of 135 against Rangpur Riders extended into the final over, featuring its mini-drama. Bangladesh stars Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal faced off for the first time since Shakib had called Tamim “childish” last September.
However, the much-anticipated clash fell flat as Tamim could only manage five runs from the first seven balls he faced from Shakib, who had been dismissed for 2 earlier in the day.
However, Rangpur bounced back just days later by reducing Sylhet Strikers to 39 for 5. Sylhet regrouped thanks to Benny Howell and Ben Cutting, managing to post 120. They even sought revenge with the ball, leaving Rangpur at 39 for 6. Nevertheless, Babar Azam, reportedly the most expensive signing of this season’s BPL, guided Rangpur to victory with a half-century and an unbeaten partnership of 88 with Azmatullah Omarzai. This left Sylhet the only team without a win in the competition.
Although Mushfiqur Rahim and Kayes surpassed 100 runs in the first week, Anamul Haque’s unbeaten 63 against Barishal stood out in the first eight games. Anamul, often considered a lost talent, has consistently delivered in the BPL and domestic competitions. His half-century followed a fiery powerplay performance by Lewis and played a crucial role in the successful chase of 188, which was sealed by Hope with three consecutive boundaries.
Tim Robinson lit up the 2023-24 Super Smash with his big-hitting•Getty Images
Nahidul Islam has frequently been a game-changer in the Bangladesh Premier League. He claimed four wickets for Khulna against Chattogram and then performed disciplinedly against Barishal, allowing just 23 runs in his four-over spell.
Against Chattogram, Nahidul Islam took the first three wickets, dismissing Avishka Fernando and Tanzid Hasan, and later claimed his fourth by removing Najibullah Zadran. After bowling eight overs across two matches, he has maintained a tight economy rate of just 4.38.
Tim Robinson from New Zealand will temporarily replace Moeen and, subsequently, for Gurbaz.
England allrounder Moeen Ali is set to debut in the CPL after being signed by the defending champions, Guyana Amazon Warriors, for the current season. The 37-year-old will replace Pakistan opener Saim Ayub, who is unavailable for the entire season.
Ayub’s absence is a significant setback for the Amazon Warriors, given that he was a standout performer during their successful 2023 title run. Last season, Ayub was the second-highest run-scorer, amassing 478 runs in 13 innings at an average of 43.45 and a strike rate of 142.26. He also led the league with 28 sixes in CPL 2023.
This season, the CPL conflicts with Pakistan’s two-match Test series against Bangladesh, where Ayub is opening the batting for his team. Additionally, it will overlap with the Champions One-Day Cup, a new iteration of Pakistan’s domestic 50-over competition, in which Ayub is scheduled to play for the Panthers.
Moeen’s availability for the Amazon Warriors depends on the Birmingham Bears’ performance in the T20 Blast in the UK, which overlaps with the CPL. Suppose the Bears win their quarter-final match against Gloucestershire on Friday. In that case, they will advance to the Finals Day on September 14.
Until Moeen arrives for the CPL, New Zealand’s explosive opener, Tim Robinson, will be his temporary replacement. Robinson, often compared to Finn Allen for his penchant for hitting sixes, was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2023-24 Super Smash. He accumulated 298 runs in six innings at an average of 59.60 and a strike rate of 187.42. His tally included 139 off 64 balls, featuring ten sixes against Otago, the second-highest score ever in Super Smash history.
Shortly after the Super Smash, Robinson made his T20I debut for New Zealand. Recently, during New Zealand’s winter, he trained at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai, focusing on facing spin—skills that could prove helpful in the CPL. This will be Robinson’s first T20 tournament outside of the Super Smash.
Even after Moeen joins the Amazon Warriors, Robinson will remain with the team to cover for Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who will depart the CPL after the Barbados leg for international duties. Although Gurbaz is not included in the Afghanistan squad for the one-off Test against New Zealand next week, he is expected to participate in the UAE’s three-match ODI series against South Africa. The CPL’s Barbados leg concludes on September 17, just one day before the ODI series in the UAE begins.
Gurbaz will rejoin the team for the final leg of the CPL in Guyana, with Robinson stepping aside to make room for him.
With Ayub unavailable, the Amazon Warriors had Gudakesh Motie open the batting in their season opener and Kevin Sinclair in their second match. Last season, the Warriors often promoted pinch-hitters to the top order, such as Keemo Paul, who opened the batting in the final. However, the additions of Moeen and Robinson allow them to use specialized batters at the top of the order.
The Amazon Warriors have made a solid start to their title defense, winning both games.
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