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Pakistan’s head coach and selector stresses importance of international cricket resuming

George Dobell13-Jun-20201:29

Misbah-ul-Haq: ‘The players are hungry and raring to go’

Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s chief selector and head coach, has insisted that the PCB has not asked for a reciprocal tour as part of their agreement to play in England.A 29-man Pakistan squad is expected to arrive in England at the start of July for a three-Test tour that is set to be played behind closed doors and will commit the touring players to several weeks in something approaching bio-secure conditions.But while Misbah conceded that his side will be “at a bit of a disadvantage” going into the series, he was adamant that the wider good of the game is best served by a resumption in international cricket.ALSO READ: Shahid Afridi tests positive for Covid-19England have not toured Pakistan since 2005-06. Security concerns have seen subsequent series between the sides played in either the UK or the UAE though there were growing hopes, before the Covid-19 pandemic, that England would return to Pakistan in late 2022.”It’s important for cricket boards that cricket starts now,” Misbah said. “That will raise revenue which will be reinvested in cricket. If we don’t play, obviously, we will be in trouble.”For the development of this game, international cricket has to take place. Otherwise it will be difficult for smaller and weaker cricket nations to go forward. It’s important for bigger nations that cricket is revised now, too.”It is not in our minds that the ECB has to do something for us in return for us coming. The most important thing is to re-start international cricket.”Obviously, in the bigger picture, we want not just the ECB but all cricketing nations to help each other so this game can grow. It’s important for the cricket fans in Pakistan and also for Pakistan cricket that countries start touring Pakistan. But we are not expecting anything in return for this tour.”By the time the series starts, England will have just played three Tests against West Indies and Pakistan will not have played competitively since March. Furthermore, Pakistan will not have the luxury of any official warm-up games – though they will play inter-squad matches – and have been obliged to cancel their training camp in Lahore due to rising cases of Covid-19 in the region.But Misbah suggested that the month his squad will have in the UK before the series begins should provide adequate time to prepare.”It is a little bit of a disadvantage,” Misbah said. “But we believe in the resumption of cricket on the condition that the environment is safe and secure. That’s why we did not hold a camp in Lahore. The situation was really getting worse there and we thought securing the players’ health and safety was important. So we thought we should hold on and start in England where the [Covid-19] situation is getting better and better.”I’m hoping if we arrive at least four weeks before the series, we can get the time for preparation. That’s why we are bringing 29 players and mostly these players are for the longer version. Everyone needs to work really hard in those four weeks. Especially Yasir Shah because spinners need to bowl a lot to get back into rhythm, especially legspinners.”It’s really difficult for me to tell exactly where the players are [in terms of fitness] at the moment because, from March, everybody is on their own. Obviously we are having online sessions and information from them, but we don’t have any evidence because we not practising together.”So yes, we have a slight disadvantage. It will be a challenge for us, and Yasir also, to get back to his best. He needs to work very hard. But we are confident. We have a good team. If we can adjust quickly to these conditions and this situation we can perform well. We can do really well in England.”While Misbah said there were “no concerns” about the dangers posed by Covid-19 in the UK among his squad, he did concede that Haris Sohail had declined to tour due to anxiety over the virus.”It was Haris’ family,” Misbah said. “They were having concerns. They were not convinced. He has to respect the family’s decision and he pulled out of this series. The others are fine. They are ready to tour England.”

Having pursued a course in the USA, the Ranji Trophy winner wants to now shift focus to a career in biomechanics

Shashank Kishore29-Jul-2020Veteran domestic allrounder Rajat Bhatia has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, bringing an end to a career that started in 2000. Bhatia, 40, last played first-class cricket in 2018-19 for Uttarakhand, but not being selected for the 2019-20 season and his own interest in pursuing a career in biomechanics made the retirement decision an easy one.”I was keen on pursuing a career in biomechanics, and when I didn’t hear back from Uttarakhand last season, I thought it’s best I focus on my interests outside the game too instead of blocking a youngster’s place,” Bhatia told ESPNcricinfo. “I’ve pursued a biomechanics course with specialisation in training and pain management in the USA. It is a one-of-a-kind course. There are many biomechanics practitioners in India for bowling, but very few in my field, so I wanted to break new ground there.”Bhatia played 112 first-class games, scoring 6482 runs at an average of 49.10 and taking 137 wickets at a shade under 28. In List A cricket, he had 3038 runs at 41.05 along with 93 wickets. It was the IPL though where his value hit greater heights; his canny right-arm medium pace mixed with slower ones made him a difficult bowler to get away during the middle phase. He was part of the title-winning Kolkata Knight Riders side in 2012.”Individually, dismissing Sachin Tendulkar thrice in the IPL is among my cherished memories, but as a team, winning the IPL in 2012 remains my favourite,” he said. “At the IPL, a lot of international cricketers didn’t rate me highly. They thought with my pace, I wouldn’t be able to trouble many top batsmen, so the fact that I managed to play in the IPL for ten years and enjoy the kind of success I did in a way was something I cherish, because I was able to prove people wrong.” In all, he played 146 T20 games, scoring 1251 runs and picking up 111 wickets.Bhatia started his career with Tamil Nadu before moving to Delhi in 2003-04 and played most of his cricket for them. His 525 runs and 26 wickets in nine matches – including a 139 in the final against Uttar Pradesh – were instrumental in Delhi lifting the Ranji Trophy in 2007-08. He played 81 first-class games for Delhi before moving to Rajasthan in 2015 after he was left out of the Delhi Ranji Trophy squad in the wake of administrative troubles in the Delhi circuit. In 2018-19, he moved to Uttarakhand and led the new entrants to the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy.In 2008, he travelled to Israel with India A along with the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, M Vijay and Wriddhiman Saha, but Bhatia didn’t make much of it.”I thought that tour was a mere formality, where we were promoting cricket, so I didn’t look at it as coming close to playing for India,” he said. “For me, I drew more satisfaction from playing for Delhi and winning the Ranji Trophy with them in 2007-08. We had a terrific side, with some prolific India players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Aakash Chopra. Guys like Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma and Virat Kohli were just making their mark. That period was really good for Delhi cricket.”Bhatia also dabbled in Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League where he played four List A games for Mohammedan Sporting Club in 2018-19. That remains his last appearance in representative cricket.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots stay rooted to bottom after limp batting effort

The Report by Matt Roller29-Aug-2020Jamaica Tallawahs secured their third win of the CPL and moved ahead of the pack into third place thanks to Glenn Phillips’ 79 not out and a polished bowling performance on a slow surface at Queen’s Park Oval.Rovman Powell opted to bat first, anticipating that the pitch would get slower as the game went on, and was vindicated by a 37-run win as his side defended 147 with complete ease. They had struggled to score in the first ten overs, inching to 53 for 1 at the halfway stage, but after spending 16 overs grinding between first and second gear, Phillips suddenly slipped into sixth and floored the gas on his way to his highest CPL score since the equivalent fixture last season.Patriots’ run chase never get going after Fidel Edwards cleaned up Chris Lynn in his first over, with Edwards, Veerasammy Permaul and Sandeep Lamichhane finishing with two wickets and Carlos Brathwaite grabbing three.Fabulous PhillipsPhillips struggled badly early in the Tallawahs’ innings, making 14 off the first 23 balls he faced before eventually hitting his first boundary at the end of the 11th over. He had little of the strike after a sedate Powerplay, camping on the back foot against the spinners throughout and scraping his way to 38 off 44 balls with 21 balls left in the innings. The nadir came in the 14th, when he played out a maiden against legspinner Imran Khan after Nick Kelly had shelled a sitter off the last ball of the previous over.But he managed to launch a late-innings explosion against the Patriots’ wayward death-bowling pair, Sheldon Cottrell and Rayad Emrit. First, he whacked Cottrell for three sixes in as many balls, all three of them in the ‘V’ down the ground. Emrit was the victim for his last two sixes, both over long-on, and was then heaved through midwicket for four even as Phillips collapsed with cramp.He eventually ended unbeaten on 79 off 61 balls, scoring more runs from his final 17 balls (41) than his first 44 (38). It was the first time he had ended not out in his CPL career, and he revealed afterwards that he had been desperate to take the innings deep after failing to take Tallawahs over the line at any stage in the tournament to date.Patriots’ post-Powerplay problemsESPNcricinfo’s predictor gave the Patriots a 73.4% chance of winning after they had reached 39 for 1 after six overs of the chase, but they fell away in dramatic style in the following five overs. Chadwick Walton, standing in for Phillips for the first half of the chase after his cramp while batting, took a great catch off Permaul to dismiss Denesh Ramdin, before Ben Dunk chopped on to begin a wicket maiden for Brathwaite.Kieran Powell was left stranded as he skipped down the wicket against Permaul at the start of the 10th over, Walton taking four or five seconds to dislodge the bails as he cruelly taunted the batsman, and Brathwaite’s legcutter accounted for Emrit in the 11th. That meant they had lost four wickets for 14 runs in five overs after the fielding restrictions were lifted – before Lamichhane had bowled a single ball.Lewis in limboBoth teams had injury problems to cope with. Andre Russell missed a second game in a row due to his knee flare-up which will have Kolkata Knight Riders sweating, and had Phillips’ cramp to contend with too.Dunk went off the field in the second over for the Patriots with a thumb injury, though was soon back on and was fit to bat, but Evin Lewis hobbled off after the end of the innings nursing his groin. He had opened in 140 out of his 149 career T20 innings, but found himself sliding down to No. 7 today due to his tweak.He signalled early on that he had few intentions of knocking the runs off in ones and twos, whacking a Lamichhane googly for a towering six over wide long-on and then slapping Edwards for another huge blow down the ground. But he fell to Lamichhane in the 16th over trying to repeat the trick, and took any lingering hopes the Patriots had with him.

Overall, the Sunrisers hold only a slender 8-6 lead in head-to-head contests

Saurabh Somani20-Sep-20208:28

Should Virat Kohli open for RCB or bat at No. 3?

Big picture

Every IPL season, the Royal Challengers Bangalore look like one of the teams to beat on paper. They invariably have plenty of superstars, their supporters are filled with hope and all eyes are fixed on them. So far, there have been 12 seasons without a trophy, though. But the Sunrisers Hyderabad are in some ways the opposite of that. They don’t generate as much chatter, but they have been in the playoffs every year since 2016, when they even won the title, before finishing runners-up in 2018.The Royal Challengers come into this edition having tried to sort the issues that plagued them in the last two seasons: an over-dependence on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, and leaking runs at the death. Thus, they have added Aaron Finch – who will most likely open the batting for them – and paid a big sum to get allrounder Chis Morris. They also bought back Dale Steyn, who briefly gave their bowling the spark it had been missing in 2019 but was then injured. For the Sunrisers, there were no glaring gaps to plug, and they instead opted to strengthen their squad with smart buys such as Fabian Allen and Abdul Samad, both bought at the base price. The splurging by the Royal Challengers and the more restrained buying by the Sunrisers was again in keeping with the way both teams have operated over the years.Despite the contrasts, though, when it comes to the battle on the field between these two, things have been very even. Since 2018, they have each won two games against the other, and overall, the Sunrisers hold only a slender 8-6 lead in head-to-head contests. There hasn’t been a season where one of these teams has won both league matches against the other. The Sunrisers, of course, won their most important match, beating the Royal Challengers in the 2016 final.

In the news

• Both David Warner and Finch – opening partners for Australia but on opposite sides here – should be available for this game, having had to undergo only one day of quarantine after flying into Dubai from England. That applies to Jonny Bairstow too, fresh off a century in the third ODI between England and Australia. Warner will have the unique experience of seeing his opening partners swap places from being beside him to being in the opposition within a week.
• Warner has also spoken about the challenges of moving from one biobubble to another. The Australian and English players, along with those who played in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), face extended durations within biosecure environments, with all the restrictions it brings. Mentally, it will be a challenge to get themselves in the zone, knowing that they’ve left one biobubble and face two months in another.

Royal Challengers Bangalore have often been a bit over-reliant on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers•BCCI

Likely XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 Virat Singh, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Sandeep SharmaRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Strategy punt

• The duo of Kohli and de Villiers is among the most intimidating to bowl at, but they have both been a bit more susceptible to legspin than other types of bowling, particularly the googly. The Sunrisers have Rashid Khan, arguably the best white-ball legspinner in the world at the moment, and one whose googly is among the most difficult to spot. It could be a good ploy to keep his overs in hand and bring him on when the Royal Challengers top guns are in the middle.
• In theory, playing Moeen Ali in the XI gives the Royal Challengers greater balance. He strikes big against spin, his left-hand batting is an advantage and he can be relied upon to bowl some economical overs too. However, given the problems they have had with pace bowling, the Royal Challengers could go out of the box by including both Dale Steyn and Chris Morris, having Umesh Yadav sit out and bringing in someone like Gurkeerat Mann to fill the middle-order role that Ali plays. It is a risky move, but given how power-packed the Sunrisers’ own opening duo is, it could be a gamble worth taking to see if Steyn can deliver an early wicket.

Stats that matter

• Rashid Khan’s economy rate in the UAE is an incredible 5.6. Since his debut, only Boyd Rankin has conceded runs at a fewer rate, at 5.5 – given a minimum of 50 overs bowled.
• AB de Villiers is thee sixes away from getting to 400 in all T20s. He could get to the landmark easily if he bats long enough.
• Although prolific in all cricket, one of the few holes in Virat Kohli’s resume is his recent record against the Sunrisers. Since IPL 2018, he averages only 17.5 against them, and the strike rate of 121 is also not too hot. This is his opportunity to set that record right.

Seamer returns to club where he came through after three years at Wantage Road

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2020Brett Hutton has returned to Nottinghamshire on a three-year deal after turning down a new contract at Northamptonshire. The 27-year-old seam bowler came through at Trent Bridge before leaving in 2017 to look for greater opportunities in white-ball cricket.Hutton built on an impressive first-class record while at Northants, where he took 87 wickets at 23.54 across three summers. However, he only played eight T20s and six List A games, and will head back to Nottinghamshire hoping for a second chance to establish himself across all formats.”We were eager to keep Brett back then, but we also accepted at the time that he was leaving for the right reasons – to further his career and experience being a senior player over at Northamptonshire,” Nottinghamshire’s head coach, Peter Moores, said.”We wished him well at the time and the success he’s had over there, including bowling them to promotion in 2019, has been lovely to see. He’s returning a better, more experienced bowler than when he left and that’s exciting for us.”Brett has ambitions to play all three forms of the game and, working with [bowling coach] Kevin Shine in particular, we believe there’s more to come from him both with the red and white-ball.”What makes him the ideal signing for us right now is his pedigree in red-ball cricket. The consistency of his Championship record stands up. He’s been one of the better seam bowlers around for a number of years. Add to that the fact that we were lacking in fast bowling depth at times last season – and that Brett’s a homegrown player, the likes of which we all love to see representing our club – and bringing him in wasn’t a difficult decision.”Hutton made his Notts debut in 2011, and went on to take 106 wickets at 29.55 in first-class cricket. He was a key performer in Notts’ 2017 promotion campaign, before also helping Northamptonshire back into Division One of the Championship – albeit that the two-tier structure is currently on hiatus – last year.Notts, who were relegated with no wins and 10 defeats in 2019, will start the revised 2021 Championship in a group with Essex, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Worcestershire and Durham, before returning to life in Division Two the following year. They were winless in the Bob Willis Trophy but finished fourth in the North Group thanks to three draws from their five games.”The aim for me is to help Notts get back to Division One, then to kick on again and achieve things in the top tier,” Hutton said. “Looking from afar, I could see that last year they were dominating games and that the signs were there of the club turning a corner in red-ball cricket. I believe there’s a big part for me to play in continuing that, and I’m excited about competing for a spot in a strong and successful white-ball line-up as well.”It will be great to get back on home turf at Trent Bridge. When it comes to finding a county I can be passionate about bowling for, there’s no-one else quite like Notts. I’ll be giving it everything in pre-season and out on the field next summer to play my part in bringing success to this club.”

CSA is yet to conclude talks with SuperSport about streaming the matches on its website

Firdose Moonda03-Nov-2020Cricket South Africa’s interim board has noted concerns expressed by fans that the ongoing franchise four-day tournament is not being covered ball-by-ball on any platform, and has mandated one of its members to look into the matter. Judith February has been tasked with “gaining an understanding of the capacity and competency within CSA to deal with media and its stakeholders” and making recommendations to “improve communications and repair the reputational damage CSA has suffered” after the domestic season started on Monday, with a whimper.The four-day competition has not been shown on live television for several seasons, but ball-by-ball updates were available on some platforms, including on ESPNcricinfo. For now, that is not the case, as CSA has signed an exclusive deal with data company Opta to record the matches and on-sell the data. So far, no media house has opted to buy that and CSA’s own website has not been able to provide live coverage via ball-by-ball scores or a streaming service because of a technical problem.ESPNcricinfo understands that CSA is yet to conclude talks with pay-television provider about streaming the four-day competition on its website. Currently, is running a scorecard but not a blow-by-blow account of how the games are unfolding.Given the almost seven-month absence of live cricket in South Africa, and the fact that all matches must now take place behind closed doors, fans have been disappointed with the lack of coverage of the tournament and CSA has acknowledged that expectations have not been met. “The board specifically noted the dissatisfaction expressed by many journalists and cricket fans regarding the four-day matches, which had commenced but were not being broadcast live,” a CSA statement read.ALSO READ: Make SA cricket great again, and other items on the CSA board’s agendaCSA’s interim board also stressed that it is seeking to improve its relationship with all stakeholders while also working to bring about governance stability. That includes deciding who will represent CSA at the next ICC meeting, which is due to take place this month. Normally, that would be the job of the CSA president, but after the entire board’s resignation last week, CSA now has Rihan Richards as acting president of the member’s council (the highest decision-making authority in South African cricket) and the interim board, put in place after intervention by sports minister Nathi Mtethwa and chaired by justice Zak Yacoob.It is, therefore, unclear who will be CSA’s voice at the ICC but the interim board “is of the view that one of its members ought to represent South Africa at the ICC”. A frontrunner for that role is Haroon Lorgat, the former ICC and CSA CEO, who is well-versed with ICC meetings.Lorgat is also part of a subcommittee, which includes former Western Province CEO Andre Odendaal and former South African Cricketers’ Association president Omphile Ramela, whose job will be to engage with the members’ council over a proposed restructure to the domestic game. In January, the members’ council rescinded its decision to scrap the franchise tier of the current system and revert to a 12-team provincial structure, as existed pre-2004.The SACA had opposed that proposal in court, saying it would result in 70 cricketers losing their jobs. Since then, CSA has not made any public statements about how domestic cricket would look in the 2021-22 summer. This season’s fixtures have been cut, with each franchise first-class team playing seven instead of ten matches. The T20 competition would be played as a single round instead of each franchise playing home and away, in a double round. Although the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the start of the season, CSA’s shortened domestic summer is also the result of financial constraints, with the organisation forecasting losses over this four-year cycle.

The duo put on a masterclass of negotiating potentially tough conditions

Saurabh Somani02-Dec-2020Kane Williamson made smooth progress and Tom Latham was assured, as New Zealand ended a dominant first day on 243 for 2, having been put in to bat by Jason Holder on a pitch whose colour was indistinguishable from the outfield. The bowlers, particularly seamers, were expected to dominate. But the fans who came to the Seddon Park in Hamilton got to see a masterclass from their national captain. It’s a good thing New Zealand have managed their Covid-19 situation well enough to have mask-free attendances at the stadiums – properly appreciating a Williamson masterclass needs a free range of facial expressions. On losing the toss, Williamson said he would have bowled first. He then proceeded to show how Jason Holder’s decision to bowl could be made irrelevant.

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Williamson was within touching distance of a 22nd Test match century, having batted from the time he came in the middle as if he had been on a steady red-ball diet for months, instead of taking part in the most intense T20 competition in the world. He was batting on a serene 97 at stumps, having come in as early as the fifth over. That was the only period of play when West Indies were at parity with New Zealand. Debutant Will Young had been trapped in front by Shannon Gabriel a ball after being reprieved with a dropped catch behind the stumps courtesy Shane Dowrich, and New Zealand were 14 for 1 in four overs.Thereafter, Latham and Williamson put on 154 runs for the second wicket to grind West Indies down. When Latham fell, bowled by a peach from Kemar Roach, Ross Taylor joined Williamson and the runs kept coming. The unbroken third-wicket stand was already worth 75, and West Indies were reduced to bowling Kraigg Brathwaite in the last over of the day to just finish the day’s play quickly.Early rains meant the first session was washed out, with the remaining two sessions elongated, but although 85 overs had been budgeted for, a pace-heavy West Indies bowled only 77 despite another extra half hour being tacked on at the end of the day.Latham and Williamson ensured most of those overs went New Zealand’s way, although a somewhat tardy West Indies bowling attack made their jobs easier. They had to negotiate potentially tough conditions, against an attack that should have fancied itself to make the most of getting first use a lush green pitch. But, a combination of poor lines by the West Indies bowlers and exemplary control by Williamson and Latham, meant West Indies’ advantage on winning the toss was negated entirely.Latham was compact, content to leave deliveries all day long if needed but pouncing on any errors in length. Williamson was a bit more adventurous in terms of getting bat on ball, but every bit as controlled in his shot-making. Williamson leaned into his drives with trademark elegance, and on the rare occasions when a delivery spit at him or did something unexpected, his hands and wristwork were nimble enough to negotiate the ball.Latham had a stroke of luck when he flashed at a short and wide one to the keeper, off Holder in the penultimate over of the first session. There was an audible noise as the ball went past bat, but only Darren Bravo at first slip half-appealed and the rest of the West Indies fielders, including the bowler and captain, were silent. Replays showed a spike on Ultraedge as the ball passed the bat, but Latham went on to double his then score of 43, eventually out for 86 when Roach got a full ball that was angled into him to straighten and cannon into the stumps via an inside edge.At the start, West Indies’ seamers couldn’t find the right length, and allowed Latham and Williamson to gauge the pitch better with several balls they didn’t have to get their bats near to. Holder’s natural back of length was such that balls from there would carry over the stumps. Roach mixed some testing deliveries with a whole bunch that were too far outside off to threaten the stumps, while Gabriel offered scoring opportunities in between his on-target deliveries.After the first session, the bowlers attacked the stumps a lot more, but by then, New Zealand’s second-wicket pair were well set. The only moment of cheer for the rest of the day arrived via Latham’s wicket. And it was not so much cheer as solemnity, with Roach – recently bereaved due to the death of his father – sinking on one knee and staring at the pitch when he broke through Latham’s defences.

Chattogram clear at the top while Barishal, Rajshahi battle for playoff spot

Mohammad Isam08-Dec-2020
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFortune Barishal aced a tall chase of 221 against Minister Rajshahi, a game that lit up the Bangabandhu T20 Cup. Rajshahi would be wondering what they would have to do to turn their fortunes around after suffering their fourth straight defeat, despite their captain Najmul Hossain Shanto hitting 109. But it was Parvez Hossain Emon, the Under-19 World Cup-winner, who struck the winning runs with a cover-driven boundary, that took him to his maiden century and Barishal home with 11 balls to spare.Having arrived at the crease in the fifth over, Emon had a rampant Tamim Iqbal at the other end, who had already added 44 runs in 4.3 overs with Saif Hassan, the latter blasting 27 off 15 balls. Emon struck nine fours and seven sixes in his 42-ball hurricane that contained plenty of power-hitting down the ground, as well as well-timed cross-bat shots. He didn’t let up on picking up the ones and twos.Tamim later said that when Emon struck Farhad Reza for three sixes and a four in the 13th over, reducing the runs required to win to 62 from 86, he brisk hitting got Barishal back in the game. Emon’s batting was particularly impressive after Tamim’s dismissal, when Barishal still needed 60 runs in 6.4 overs.Tamim, who had struck five fours and a six in his 37-ball 53, while adding 117 runs for the second with Emon, fell in the 14th over. It was followed by Emon and Afif Hossain adding 60 runs for the unbroken third-wicket stand, with the latter contributing an unbeaten 26 off 16 balls.Rajshahi had posted the formidable 220 for 7 in 20 overs following a 131-run opening stand. Shanto equalled Tamim’s record of 11 sixes in a Bangabandhu T20 Cup match, most by a Bangladeshi batsman, during his 55-ball 109. His opening partner Anisul Islam Emon made 69 off 39 balls with seven fours and three sixes, before Kamrul Islam Rabbi took his first T20 hat-trick in the last over.Barishal and Rajshahi are now level on points with one playoff place still undecided.Shamsur Rahman threads one through the off side•SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Gazi Group Chattogram 162 for 7 (Shamsur 45*, Joy 24, Shakib 2-30) beat Gemcon Khulna 157 for 9 (Shuvagata 32*, Jahurul 26, Shoriful 3-34) by three wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShamsur Rahman was cool and calculated in taking Gazi Group Chattogram to a three-wicket win against Gemcon Khulna. Their grab of the scrappy contest was their fifth win in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup, putting them clear on top of the points table with two matches left to play.Khulna, who remain in second place with eight points, let the game slip in the last three overs in which they had to defend 37 runs.Shamsur, who saw Chattogram lose four wickets for 49 runs in seven overs in the middle of their innings, struck two beautiful fours at the end of the 18th over, before Nahidul Islam struck Shuvagata Hom for two crucial sixes in the penultimate over. Although he got out off the last ball, he left Chattogram to take nine runs off the last over.Mustafizur Rahman swung at his second delivery to get a boundary in the last over, before they exchanged three singles, much to the dismay of Chattogram coach Mohammad Salahuddin who signalled that Shamsur could have hit the ball harder off the fourth ball. With two required off the last ball, Shamsur swung Al-Amin Hossain over the square-leg boundary for a six.When Khulna batted first, their innings was meandering to nowhere when Shuvagata Hom, usually a middle-order batsman but sent down to No. 9 in this game, got hold of it in the 17th over. He struck six fours and a flat pulled six in his 14-ball unbeaten 32, as Khulna added 38 valuable runs in the last three overs. Until that point, Chattogram had kept the Khulna batsmen in check.Left-arm quick Shoriful Islam mixed his lengths very well, removing Zakir Hasan and Jahurul Islam with bouncers while Mahmudullah was suckered out of the crease before missing the pinpoint yorker. Apart from Shoriful’s three wickets, Mustafizur Rahman took two wickets while Mosaddek Hossain and Ziaur Rahman took one each.