DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC– Former West Indies T20 captain Darren Sammy raced to an unbeaten half century that spurred Rajshahi Kings to a three wicket victory over Chittagong Vikings in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) yesterday.
Sammy hit a 27-ball 55, while his West Indian counterpart fast bowler Kesrick Williams grabbed four wickets to propel Kings to the second qualifier at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
West Indies opener Chris Gayle scored a typically aggressive 44 from 30 balls to help Chittagong’s top order set a strong foundation to reach 142 for eight in 20 overs.
Barbados opener Dwayne Smith, who opened for Chittagong, went without scoring, Williams’s first victim in the second ball of the third over.
Gayle, who batted at number three, put on 74 runs for the second wicket with Tamim Iqbal who scored 51.
Only six of Gayle’s runs were not scored from boundaries as the flamboyant Jamaican launched five sixes, four over the straight boundary and two fours.
Williams, a fast bowler from St.Vincent and the Grenadines, also removed Abdur Razzak and Taskin Ahmed in the same over to complete his second four-wicket haul in T20s.
During the chase, Sammy put on 37 and 49 with Mehedi Hasan and Farhad Reza respectively to lead Rajshahi’s recovery from 57 for six to surpass 143 in 18.3 overs and knock Chittagong out of the competition.
Sammy, who reached his second fifty of the tournament with a straight six, hit seven fours and two sixes.
