DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – Chadwick Walton’s unbeaten half-century canceled out one from West Indies colleague Andre Fletcher, as Chattogram Challengers maintained their bid for a place in the final of the Bangladesh Premier League with a narrow seven-run win over Khulna Tigers.
Sent in at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in the eliminator fixture here Monday, Challengers climbed to 189 for five off their 20 overs, courtesy of Walton’s 89 not out off 44 deliveries.
In reply, Tigers were kept in the game by Fletcher’s unbeaten 80 off 58 balls at the top of the order but the 16 runs required from the final over proved beyond them.
Challengers will now clash with Comilla Victorians in today’s final qualifier, after Sunil Narine’s side suffered a 10-run defeat to veterans Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo’s Fortune Barishal in Monday’s first qualifier.
Fortune Barishal mustered only 143 for eight off their 20 overs after being sent in, with Gayle getting 22 from 19 balls and Bravo, 17 from 21 deliveries.
Off-spinner Narine grabbed one for 16 from four miserly overs.
In reply, the left-handed Narine made 17 from 16 balls as Victorians finished on 133 for seven, with Bravo claiming one for 26 from four overs of medium pace.
However, it was Walton and then Fletcher who took centre stage.
Challengers were slumping at 16 for two in the third before Walton arrived to first partner with fellow Jamaican Kennar Lewis (39) in a 38-run, third wicket stand, before adding a further 115 for the fifth with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (36).
Lewis punched four fours and two sixes off 32 balls while Walton notched seven fours and seven sixes in an excellent Man-of-the-Match performance.
Fletcher then led the charge for Tigers, following up his brilliant unbeaten 101 last weekend against Victorians, as he surpassed 400 runs for the campaign.
The right-hander, ignored for West Indies’ recent Twenty20 tours, struck half-dozen fours and four sixes, putting on 64 for the third wicket with captain Musfiqur Rahim (43) and 65 for the fourth wicket with Yasir Ali (45).
But with a big over required, off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz held Tigers to just three runs from the first three deliveries and Fletcher’s boundary off the fourth ball was not enough.