Bangladesh HP beat Northern Territory Strike by 21 runs

In the final of the Top End T20 series in Darwin, Australia, Bangladesh HP secured their place by defeating Northern Territory Strikers by 21 runs in the first semifinal. Akbar Ali's team confirmed their spot in the final. In the final, Bangladesh HP will face Adelaide Strikers.

The previous day, Bangladesh HP reached the semifinals thanks to a stellar performance by Mahfuzur Rahman Rabi, who led the team to victory against Perth Scorchers by 3 wickets. Today, in the semifinal of the series, Bangladesh HP batted first after losing the toss, scoring 138 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.

Zishan Alam lost his wicket early in the innings, scoring just 4 runs. Tanzid Hasan Tamim, coming in at number three, scored 16 runs from 11 balls. Another opener, Parvez Hossain Emon, made 17 runs from 23 balls. Although Afif Hossain Dhruv managed to score, he couldn’t carry the innings forward significantly, contributing 22 runs with the help of 4 boundaries.

Captain Akbar Ali was unsuccessful, scoring only 3 runs from 8 balls. However, Shamim Hossain Patwari provided relief. Mahfuzur Rahman Rabi, the hero of the previous match, was also excellent. Although Rabi returned to the pavilion after scoring 21 runs, Shamim remained unbeaten, helping the team to a total of 138 runs in 20 overs. Shamim Hossain’s innings of 41 runs was the highest for his team.

In pursuit of the target, Northern Territory Strikers got off to a great start. Bangladesh HP’s bowlers failed to take wickets in the first powerplay. However, Alis Al Islam provided a crucial breakthrough in the 7th over by dismissing D Archi Short, breaking the 41-run opening partnership. Rakibul Hasan then bowled out Jack Weatherald, who scored 34 runs from 29 balls before returning. After this, no other batter could make a significant contribution.

Northern Territory Strikers kept losing wickets at regular intervals. By the end of the 20th over, their score was 117 for 9 wickets. Bangladesh HP secured a thrilling 21-run victory, earning their place in the final.

On this day, pace bowler Ripon Mondol was exceptional with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 36 runs. Rakibul Hasan claimed 2 wickets, giving away 11 dot balls in his 4 overs. Alis also created problems for the opposition with 11 dot balls, taking 1 wicket.