BPL 2023: How Fortune Barishal Clinched Easy Win Over Chattogram Challengers

At BPL 2023 on January 13, Fortune Barishal make it two wins on the trot after easily dispatching Chattogram Challengers by 26 runs at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Chattogram Challengers skipper Shuvagata Hom won the toss and elected to field first. Fortune Barishal looked lively throughout the innings and ended up with 202/7 in 20 overs. Iftikhar Ahmed was the shining light of their batting innings with a fantastic half-century.

Last year’s runner-ups now have four points in three games this season, losing their opening fixture to Sylhet Strikers. On the other hand, the Chattogram Challengers stay at two points after three games.

Ahmed was judged Man of the Match for his outstanding display with the bat for Barshal.

Vital Batting Contributions For Fortune Barishal

In the T20s, you cannot expect 100-run partnerships every game. If you want to build a good first innings total, all of your batters must contribute. Fortune Barishal have batsmen that score runs throughout the innings.

In their batting innings against the Chattogram Challengers, five of their top 6 batsmen went into double figures. Captain Shakib Al Hasan was the only one to get out cheaply for 8 runs. All of them had a strike rate above 140.

One of the reasons why Fortune Barishal must be taken seriously is that they score runs freely regardless of how many wickets are fallen. Hence, they don't give any chance for their opposing bowlers to dictate play.

The aggressive approach shown by Shakib's men shows that they will go deep into this season's BPL 2023.

Iftikhar Ahmed Goes Berzerk

Pakistani players continue to impress in this year's BPL 2023 and Ahmed has added himself to that list. The all-rounder finished the last match with a six against Rangpur Riders.

In the match against Chattogram Challengers, the veteran batsman started where he left off a few days ago. He scored a fantastic 57 off 26 balls, with three fours and five sixes.

The right handed batsman started slowly, scoring 10 runs off 13 balls. However, he scored an astonishing 47 runs off the next 13 to ensure his team goes past the 200 mark.

Ahmed is coming into this tournament on the back of a great World T20 with Pakistan. The right-handed batsman scored fantastic half-centuries against India and South Africa in the tournament respectively.

Furthermore, he also has a habit of taking important wickets after getting introduced for a couple of overs. If Fortune Barishal goes deep into the tournament, Iftikhar would have a huge role to play.

On the international front, the new selection committee will also be having a close look at Ahmed’s evolution as a lower order batsman. If he continues to perform like he has been doing in domestic leagues, we could see him in Pakistan colours for the upcoming World Cup in India.

Shakib Al Hasan’s Shines In Every Department

Even the most decorated player in the history of BPL 2023 can have an off day sometimes. Fortune Barishal captain Shakib was dismissed for only 8 runs in the first innings. To make it worse, he didn’t salvage his day with the ball either as he was on the receiving end of aggressive shots from Usman Khan.

However, as you expect from an experienced player, he responded by giving away only 7 runs in the remaining two overs and took the wicket of Max O’Dowd.

The veteran all-rounder has been an asset to both BPL 2023 and Bangladesh cricket. However, he has to produce better numbers if he wants to make something out of his remaining few years in professional cricket.

Lack Of Partnerships For Chattogram Challengers

We can safely say that the difference between the two teams was the partnerships. In the first innings, there were regular partnerships between all the top order players. Apart from Ahmed, Ibrahim Zadran looked magnificent for his 48 runs. Anamaul Haque, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Mahmdullah also had important contributions with the bat.

On the other hand, it feels like Chattogram Challengers relies too much on their openers. Khan came into this match on the back of a fantastic century against Khulna Tigers. Once again, he got off to a fast start as he looked to attack the powerplay overs.

The opening partnership was worth 48 runs off 30 balls before the right-handed batsman was removed by Kamrun Islam. It was the beginning of the end for the Chattogram Challengers as they simply didn’t keep up with the required run rate.

It was the beginning of the end for Hom’s side as the required run rate kept climbing. O’Dowd and Unmukt Chand didn’t seem to get any free flowing runs before getting dismissed.

From fifth till the 11th over, the hosts only scored 34 runs off 36 balls. The lack of boundaries and strike rotation between the batsmen were crucial as Fortune Barishal got through their middle overs comfortably.

The lower order simply had too much to do in the final overs as last year’s runner-ups coasted to an easy win.

Unlike Fortune Barishal, they seem to become pragmatic after losing one of their openers. If they want to progress in this competition, they should start scoring freely and don’t worry about the dismissals.

Handful Of Bowling Options For Fortune Barishal

Another difference between the two teams was the number of bowling options that both skippers had. The Chattogram Challengers seemed to have a conservative approach of only relying on five bowlers to complete their 20 overs.

On the other hand, Shakib tried seven bowlers during the second innings. He gave a single over to Khaled Ahmed and Kamrul Islam, and that decision worked when Islam removed the dangerous Khan in the fifth over.

The unpredictability shown by the Bangladesh and Fortune Barishal captain was fundamental to the team’s comprehensive win over the Chattogram Challengers. On the other hand, Hom was too one-dimensional and doesn’t seem to trust any of his external bowlers.

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