BPL 2015 starts off with a thrilling win for Misbah-inspired Rangpur Riders, Amir claims career best figures
The 2015 Bangladesh Premier League, the latest star-studded T20 league to have stolen eyeballs all around the world, kickstarted in thrilling fashion with a last-ball victory for Rangpur Riders against the Chittagong Vikings.
The Riders, who are captained by Shakib al Hasan, hit 14 runs off a very eventful final over the match to just edge out the match by 2 wickets, after a crucial duel in the 19th over, between two Pakistani superstars – albeit of different natures – Misbah ul Haq and Mohammad Amir, seemed to have put the match in the Vikings’ pocket.
Tamim Iqbal, the Vikings captain, won the toss and elected to bat first. His team got off to a cracking start, keeping the run rate hovering around 10 for the major part of the innings. Tamim top scored for Vikings with a 32-ball 51, as they finished at 187.
As the Riders came out to chase, they were met with a barrage from pacer Mohammad Amir, who is on his way to returning to the fold of cricket from a 5-year forced hiatus because of his involvement in match-fixing. He was bowling at international batsmen after a long time, but it looked like he had not missed a single beat.
Amir bowled a maiden over, and then came back to claim two wickets in his second over, as all the Vikings came around to pat him on his back. The Riders were reeling at 23/4 in the 5th over.
However, it was then that Misbah-ul-Haq stepped into the fray, blasting his team out of trouble. It seemed as if he would take his team to victory until Amir bowled a deadly 19th over to turn the momentum of the match in Vikings’ favour again. With an yorker aimed right at the bottom of the off stump, Misbah was beaten all ends up as he looked to push it to the leg side. He missed and the off stump was uprooted. Amir, with figures of 4-30, had seemed to have won it.
The crowd chanted Amir’s name, the man who had picked up his career-best T20 figures on BPL debut.
Amir v Misbah - Clean bowled for 61 off 39 balls with a yorker. Amir 4-30 in his first international match. #BPLT20 pic.twitter.com/zUyrIAFyyA
— Cricistan.com (@Cricistan) November 22, 2015
Darren Sammy hit a six and a four in the last over to decide what had been a topsy-turvy match off the very last ball – a great start to the league.
Misbah was announced as the Man of the Match for his 39-ball 61.
What a game! Rangpur Riders won by 2 wickets! Unbelievable! #bplt20 #RARvCHV
— BPL T20 (@BplReal) November 22, 2015