Frylinck, Bopara flay Mirpur wicket

Batting on the pitch not easy, they say

The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) in Mirpur has turned out be an enigma, prompting local and foreign players to raise questions. Questions about the pitch has been raised after the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) curtain-raiser between reigning champions Rangpur Riders and Chittagong Vikings.

Both the innings of the fixture produced low-scoring totals, with Rangpur Riders putting on a paltry 98 in 20 overs and Chittagong Vikings had romped home in the to play the penultimate over. The Vikings won the match by three wickets.

Riders all-rounder Ravi Bopara, who was in BPL since the initial edition of the blockbuster Twenty20 tournament along with Viking’s Robert Frylinck, also known as Robbie Frylinck, flayed the black soil of the Home of Cricket.

“The wicket is unpredictable, especially in Mirpur,” said Ravi Bopara, who top-scored for Riders with 44 off 47 with two sixes and three boundaries.

“We know that scores will be higher in Chattogram and Sylhet. You can score 170 to 200. But if you can get 150 here, it is always difficult for the opposition,” Bopara said at the post-match press conference at the media block of the SBNCS yesterday.

“Wickets in Bangladesh are very different from the rest of the world. Sometimes you need a lot of time to get prepared for the competition. If you come unprepared, it’s a very difficult place to play especially as a batsman. Wickets in the nets are not the same as in the middle. It’s always difficult to get an idea,” he added.

Robert Frylinck said that it was really tough to bat and score runs on that wicket. Bopara and Frylinck both felt that 130 was a challenging score on the wicket, which was flat, dry and sometimes produced uneven bounce.

“I think we could have scored more runs on that wicket. I think 130 is a challenging score. It was a difficult wicket to play your shots,” said the English all-rounder, who missed bowling in the opening match due to his ankle sprain a few days back. But he hoped to bowl in the next match.

“I don’t think it was a 99 wicket, neither was it a 140 wicket. I think 120-125 would have been a good score.

I think they may have gone a bit hard up front. If  Ravi  had someone to consolidate with him, they could have got 125. I think our bowlers did well to restrict them to 99 and we knocked it off,” the South African all-rounder, who earned the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his all-round display as he claimed four wickets and scored 12 not out to slot home, said.

 

Frylinck, Bopara flay Mirpur wicket

Batting on the pitch not easy, they say

The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) in Mirpur has turned out be an enigma, prompting local and foreign players to raise questions. Questions about the pitch has been raised after the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) curtain-raiser between reigning champions Rangpur Riders and Chittagong Vikings. Both the innings of the fixture produced low-scoring totals, with Rangpur Riders putting on a paltry 98 in 20 overs and Chittagong Vikings had romped home in the to play the penultimate over. The Vikings won the match by three wickets. Riders all-rounder Ravi Bopara, who was in BPL since the initial edition of the blockbuster Twenty20 tournament along with Vikings Robert Frylinck, also known as Robbie Frylinck, flayed the black soil of the Home of Cricket. The wicket is unpredictable, especially in Mirpur, said Ravi Bopara, who top-scored for Riders with 44 off 47 with two sixes and three boundaries. We know that scores will be higher in Chattogram and Sylhet. You can score 170 to 200. But if you can get 150 here, it is always difficult for the opposition, Bopara said at the post-match press conference at the media block of the SBNCS yesterday. Wickets in Bangladesh are very different from the rest of the world. Sometimes you need a lot of time to get prepared for the competition. If you come unprepared, its a very difficult place to play especially as a batsman. Wickets in the nets are not the same as in the middle. Its always difficult to get an idea, he added. Robert Frylinck said that it was really tough to bat and score runs on that wicket. Bopara and Frylinck both felt that 130 was a challenging score on the wicket, which was flat, dry and sometimes produced uneven bounce. I think we could have scored more runs on that wicket. I think 130 is a challenging score. It was a difficult wicket to play your shots, said the English all-rounder, who missed bowling in the opening match due to his ankle sprain a few days back. But he hoped to bowl in the next match. I dont think it was a 99 wicket, neither was it a 140 wicket. I think 120-125 would have been a good score. I think they may have gone a bit hard up front. If Ravi had someone to consolidate with him, they could have got 125. I think our bowlers did well to restrict them to 99 and we knocked it off, the South African all-rounder, who earned the Man of the Match award for his all-round display as he claimed four wickets and scored 12 not out to slot home, said.