A look back at season’s BPL

The season’s BPL brought up some delighting moments for the spectators. Unlike the other seasons, the local players ruled the roost, proving the fact that Bangladesh’s cricket had really come off age. This BPL also gave the birth of talented players like Mehedi Maruf, Afif Hossain. Some old performers like Shahriar Nafees, Arafat Sunny reinvigorated them in the season. There were also like off field issues but BCB controlled them with stern action. Our Sports Reporter Syed Mohammed Pithu however looked back at season’s BPL in its two parts story. Here is the second part of the story. The first part was published in The Independent on December 11.

Kevon Cooper and Arafat Sunny reported with suspected bowling action
Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny yet again reported with suspect bowling action just two months after ICC cleared him. He was the second bowler in BPL after Khulna Titans Kevon Cooper.
Sunny was reported with suspect action during tournament’s match between Rangpur Riders and Rajshahi Kings on September 28. His first delivery of the 19th over during the match 
was found to be suspect and had been reported by match officials.
Sunny earlier was first reported with dubious action during Bangladesh’s World T20 2016 match against the Netherlands in March. After the month-long remedial work he underwent re-assessment in Australia and was cleared by the ICC on September 23 along with pacer Taskin Ahmed.

Tamim struck most fifties’ record
Left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal struck the most fifties in BPL-4 alongside of being the highest run-getter. He smote six half-centuries including three consecutive fifties from 13 matches. He equalised the record with Shamsur Rahman Shuvo, who earlier smashed six fifties in a single BPL tournament. Tamim had a chance to set a new record if Chittagong Vikings would not be halted their progress by Rajshahi Kings in the Eliminator match.

Rajshahi Kings’ unique selfie celebration
Rajshahi Kings’ unique selfie celebration drew the attention of all the fans and cricket loving people. Usually, T20 is considered by all a fun cricket, where there always exists a festive mood with the drumbeat of fours and sixes. But this style of selfie-bration in BPL-4 was a different entertaining element during the eliminator match between Khulna Titans and Rajshahi Kings though Williams and Sammy showed in their previous group phase matches but it got final look in this match. After getting a wicket, Kings’ players led by its West Indian skipper Darren Sammy and his compatriot Kesrick Williams staged a mock selfie beside the pitch or sometimes beside the boundary line. As soon as they got a wicket players likes of Miraj, Drubo, Nazmul Hossain Apu, Farhad Reza, Sabbir Rahman, Kesrick, Franklin, Samet Patel would come from different locations to pose for the group selfie what Sammy or Williams captured by finger-made camera.

Shakib’s heated exchange with umpires
Dhaka Dynamites captain Shakib Al Hasan exchanged heated words with umpire Khalid Mahmood for his reaction to an overturned LBW appeal off the fifth ball of the very first over of the Khulna Titans’ innings bowled by Dynamites pacer Abu Zayed Rahi. He was found guilty of breaching the Code of Conduct, which relates to using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting.
On-field umpires Nadir Shah, Khalid Mahmood, third umpire Masudur Rahman Mukul and fourth umpire Mahuzur Rahman Litu leveled the charge against iconic all-rounder Shakib. BCB slapped a 20 percent fine of the match fees on him. The fine for the Level-1 breach produced two demerit points that have been added to Shakib’s disciplinary record.
Later, the player admitted his offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee ASM Roquibul Hassan. And so there was no need for a formal hearing.
Tanvir Ahmed over the dismissal of Mushfiqur Rahim during the match of Rangpur Riders and Sylhet Superstars. Thisara Perera and wicket-keeper Mohammad Mithun appealed for a caught-behind but in naked eye it was clear that ball was quite far from the bat. TV replay later proved that umpire was right in his decision. Shakib came to umpire in aggressive mood. Other umpire Sharfuddoula had to intervene to stop it. Later in 17th over when Shakib bowled Nazmul Hossain Milon, he looked at Tanvir to mockingly know whether it was out. He later was suspended for one match of the BRB BPL 2015 and fined Taka 20,000 for two counts of BCB Code of Conduct breach.  The other offence was he used  abusive language after dismissing Sylhet batsman Dilshan Munaweera in the fourth over of the Sylhet innings. Match Referee Selim Shahed imposed the fine after the player pleaded guilty to the offence.

Afif’s brilliant performance on debut
Afif Hossain Drubo, vice-captain of U-19, made a new BPL record on his first competitive match for Rajshahi Kings. Drubo is the first Bangladeshi bowler, who claimed five wickets on debut match against Chittagong Vikings. But he was third bowler after Abul Hasan Raju (5-28) and Taskin Ahmed (5-31) captured five wickets in BPL-4.
His five-wicket burst (5-21) scintillated with the prized wicket of Chris Gayle. Afif conceded less runs than them to take his five-for. He started his wicket-taking campaign with Jahurul Islam Omee. Thereafter, he bowled ‘six-machine’ Chris Gayle and then Zakir Hasan, Saqlain Sojib and  Imran Khan Jr one after another.

Khulna’s embarrassing moment
Khulna Titans received the most embarrassing treatment when they hit the new lowest of BPL before surrendering to Rangpur Riders meekly by nine wickets. They were bowled out for 44 that was the lowest not only in BPL history, but also in any domestic T20 tournament in Bangladesh. Mohammedan Sporting Club’s 45 against Prime Bank in the Victory Day T20 in 2013 was the lowest in domestic tournament while Barisal Bulls’ 58 against Sylhet Super Stars in the last season was BPL’s previous lowest.

Comilla Victorians and Barisal Bulls sank in blushes
Before being champions Comilla Victorians was the under-rated team in last edition. This year the team lost match after match from the very beginning. Finally they could manage to win after five-match losing streak and finished their BPL mission with victory. Barisal Bulls, on the other hand, finished their BPL campaign with six match losing streak though they got off to a solid start.

Mushfiq, Riyad and Tamim enter into 1000-run club
In BPL-4, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad and Tamim Iqbal led Barisal Bulls, Khulna Titans and Chittagong Vikings respectively from the front. The day when they performed well their team won the match. They were the key performer of their respective team. Mushfiqur was the first player, who entered into the 1000-run club. Therefore, Mahmudullah and Taimim Iqbal followed him. Now Mushfiq has 1172, Mahmudullah’s 1066 and Tamim’s 1026. 
(concluded)

A look back at seasons BPL

The seasons BPL brought up some delighting moments for the spectators. Unlike the other seasons, the local players ruled the roost, proving the fact that Bangladeshs cricket had really come off age. This BPL also gave the birth of talented players like Mehedi Maruf, Afif Hossain. Some old performers like Shahriar Nafees, Arafat Sunny reinvigorated them in the season. There were also like off field issues but BCB controlled them with stern action. Our Sports Reporter Syed Mohammed Pithu however looked back at seasons BPL in its two parts story. Here is the second part of the story. The first part was published in The Independent on December 11.

Kevon Cooper and Arafat Sunny reported with suspected bowling action Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny yet again reported with suspect bowling action just two months after ICC cleared him. He was the second bowler in BPL after Khulna Titans Kevon Cooper. Sunny was reported with suspect action during tournaments match between Rangpur Riders and Rajshahi Kings on September 28. His first delivery of the 19thover during the match was found to be suspect and had been reported by match officials. Sunny earlier was first reported with dubious action during Bangladeshs World T20 2016 match against the Netherlands in March. After the month-long remedial work he underwent re-assessment in Australia and was cleared by the ICC on September 23 along with pacer Taskin Ahmed. Tamim struck most fifties record Left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal struck the most fifties in BPL-4 alongside of being the highest run-getter. He smote six half-centuries including three consecutive fifties from 13 matches. He equalised the record with Shamsur Rahman Shuvo, who earlier smashed six fifties in a single BPL tournament. Tamim had a chance to set a new record if Chittagong Vikings would not be halted their progress by Rajshahi Kings in the Eliminator match. Rajshahi Kings unique selfie celebration Rajshahi Kings unique selfie celebration drew the attention of all the fans and cricket loving people. Usually, T20 is considered by all a fun cricket, where there always exists a festive mood with the drumbeat of fours and sixes. But this style of selfie-bration in BPL-4 was a different entertaining element during the eliminator match between Khulna Titans and Rajshahi Kings though Williams and Sammy showed in their previous group phase matches but it got final look in this match. After getting a wicket, Kings players led by its West Indian skipper Darren Sammy and his compatriot Kesrick Williams staged a mock selfie beside the pitch or sometimes beside the boundary line. As soon as they got a wicket players likes of Miraj, Drubo, Nazmul Hossain Apu, Farhad Reza, Sabbir Rahman, Kesrick, Franklin, Samet Patel would come from different locations to pose for the group selfie what Sammy or Williams captured by finger-made camera. Shakibs heated exchange with umpires Dhaka Dynamites captain Shakib Al Hasan exchanged heated words with umpire Khalid Mahmood for his reaction to an overturned LBW appeal off the fifth ball of the very first over of the Khulna Titans innings bowled by Dynamites pacer Abu Zayed Rahi. He was found guilty of breaching the Code of Conduct, which relates to using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting. On-field umpires Nadir Shah, Khalid Mahmood, third umpire Masudur Rahman Mukul and fourth umpire Mahuzur Rahman Litu leveled the charge against iconic all-rounder Shakib. BCB slapped a 20 percent fine of the match fees on him. The fine for the Level-1 breach produced two demerit points that have been added to Shakibs disciplinary record. Later, the player admitted his offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee ASM Roquibul Hassan. And so there was no need for a formal hearing. Tanvir Ahmed over the dismissal of Mushfiqur Rahim during the match of Rangpur Riders and Sylhet Superstars. Thisara Perera and wicket-keeper Mohammad Mithun appealed for a caught-behind but in naked eye it was clear that ball was quite far from the bat. TV replay later proved that umpire was right in his decision. Shakib came to umpire in aggressive mood. Other umpire Sharfuddoula had to intervene to stop it. Later in 17th over when Shakib bowled Nazmul Hossain Milon, he looked at Tanvir to mockingly know whether it was out. He later was suspended for one match of the BRB BPL 2015 and fined Taka 20,000 for two counts of BCB Code of Conduct breach. The other offence was he used abusive language after dismissing Sylhet batsman Dilshan Munaweera in the fourth over of the Sylhet innings. Match Referee Selim Shahed imposed the fine after the player pleaded guilty to the offence. Afifs brilliant performance on debut Afif Hossain Drubo, vice-captain of U-19, made a new BPL record on his first competitive match for Rajshahi Kings. Drubo is the first Bangladeshi bowler, who claimed five wickets on debut match against Chittagong Vikings. But he was third bowler after Abul Hasan Raju (5-28) and Taskin Ahmed (5-31) captured five wickets in BPL-4. His five-wicket burst (5-21) scintillated with the prized wicket of Chris Gayle. Afif conceded less runs than them to take his five-for. He started his wicket-taking campaign with Jahurul Islam Omee. Thereafter, he bowled six-machine Chris Gayle and then Zakir Hasan, Saqlain Sojib and Imran Khan Jr one after another. Khulnas embarrassing moment Khulna Titans received the most embarrassing treatment when they hit thenew lowest of BPL before surrendering to Rangpur Riders meekly by nine wickets. They were bowled out for 44 that was thelowest not only in BPL history, but also inany domestic T20 tournament in Bangladesh. Mohammedan Sporting Clubs 45 against PrimeBank in the Victory DayT20 in 2013 was the lowest in domestic tournament while Barisal Bulls 58 against Sylhet Super Stars in the last season was BPLs previous lowest. Comilla Victorians and Barisal Bulls sank in blushes Before being champions Comilla Victorians was the under-rated team in last edition. This year the team lost match after match from the very beginning. Finally they could manage to win after five-match losing streak and finished their BPL mission with victory. Barisal Bulls, on the other hand, finished their BPL campaign with six match losing streak though they got off to a solid start. Mushfiq, Riyad and Tamim enter into 1000-run club In BPL-4, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad and Tamim Iqbal led Barisal Bulls, Khulna Titans and Chittagong Vikings respectively from the front. The day when they performed well their team won the match. They were the key performer of their respective team. Mushfiqur was the first player, who entered into the 1000-run club. Therefore, Mahmudullah and Taimim Iqbal followed him. Now Mushfiq has 1172, Mahmudullahs 1066 and Tamims 1026. (concluded)