Mahidul Islam Ankon scored an 18-ball fifty, the fastest by Bangladeshi in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) history, and guided his team Khulna Tigers to beat Chittagong Kings by 37 runs on Tuesday.
Khulna batted first at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium and scored 203 runs for four wickets.
William Bosisto was their best batter hitting 75 off 50 balls with eight fours and three sixes. However, it was Mahidul who stole the show with a 59* off just 22 deliveries. He smashed sixes.
Chittagong’s bowlers struggled to contain the Khulna Tigers’ charge. While Aliss Al Islam bagged 2 for 17 in his four overs, others, including Shoriful Islam and Khaled Ahmed, were taken to the cleaners, conceding runs at over 11 runs per over.
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In reply, the Kings lost half of their wickets in just 56 runs inside the powerplay. But Shamim Hossain formed some fightback with 78 off 38 balls. He smashed seven fours and five sixes.
But his fightback was not enough for the Kings to avoid a defeat to start their BPL. They were bowled out for 166 in 18.5 overs.
Abu Hider took four wickets for 44 for Khulna. Mohammad Nawaz of Pakistan also bagged two for 13 runs.