Several cricket matches concluded with varying results across different leagues. In the ongoing Pakistan versus Afghanistan series, Pakistan trails by 44 runs at the end of day four, session two. Meanwhile, Afghanistan secured a convincing 72-run victory against Zimbabwe.
The Barishal Bulls and the Rajshahi Royals match in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) saw Barishal electing to field first. In other BPL action, Heat triumphed over their opponents with a comfortable 5-wicket victory, achieving this with 7 balls to spare. Two other BPL matches between the Chittagong and Dhaka teams ended in draws. Central Districts also recorded a dominant 64-run win over their unnamed opponents.
In other news, the Mount Eagles and Eagle matches are underway, with Eagles choosing to field first on day one, and the Tuskers and Rocks match also commenced with Tuskers electing to bat first on day one. Rangpur emerged victorious in their match against Strikers, securing an eight-wicket win with six balls remaining. This win established a new record for the highest match aggregate between these two teams in T20 cricket, reaching a combined total of 415 runs.
A noteworthy individual performance saw a bowler achieve a remarkable seven wickets in a single T20 innings, becoming only the third bowler to achieve this feat in men’s T20 cricket. Further news from the BPL includes ongoing discussions regarding the timely payment of player contracts, with the first installment due before the season’s commencement. One player, Tom O’Connell, incurred a penalty for exceeding the allotted time to take the crease. Finally, the BPL is also seeing an increase in Pakistani talent, the inclusion of local Under-19 players, and ongoing speculation about the participation of Shakib and Mashrafe.