Waseem, Shanto overshadow Hridoy’s brilliance

Muhammad Waseem and Najmul Hossain Shanto’s commanding batting displays steered Rajshahi Warriors to a seven-wicket victory over Rangpur Riders, lifting them to second place in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) points table at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

UAE batter Waseem smashed an unbeaten 87 off 59 balls and added a tournament-highest 142-run second-wicket partnership with Shanto, who struck 76 off 42 deliveries. The duo guided Rajshahi to 179 for three in 19.1 overs, sealing their fifth win in seven matches and pushing Rangpur down to third place.

Earlier, Tawhid Hridoy’s valiant unbeaten 97 off 56 balls powered Rangpur to a competitive 178 for four after being sent in to bat. 

Rangpur were reeling at 72 for three in the 12th over before Hridoy and Pakistan’s Khushdil Shah staged a recovery with a 105-run stand for the fourth wicket off just 50 balls.

Promoted to open the innings, Hridoy appeared to have put his recent struggles behind, hammering eight fours and six sixes. He had previously managed only one fifty in the tournament, which also came in a losing cause against Rajshahi.

Khushdil was dismissed for 44 off 29 balls in the fourth delivery of the final over, leaving Hridoy needing three runs from the last ball to complete his second T20 hundred. However, New Zealand’s James Neesham bowled a yorker length delivery to deny him, leaving the batter visibly disappointed.

In reply, Rajshahi lost opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim for three in the third over, but Waseem and Shanto’s assured partnership ensured there were no further hiccups as they comfortably chased down the target.