Bangladesh HP beat NZ A to reclaim top spot in Top End T20

Bangladesh High Performance (HP) team reclaimed the top spot of the Top End T20 series points table after beating New Zealand A by 23 runs at the DXC Arena in Darwin on Thursday.

Riding on impressive knocks from Ariful Islam and Sabbir Rahman, Bangladesh racked up a respectable 181-5 before their bowlers applied pressure to restrict New Zealand A to 158-8 in 20 overs.

Bangladesh HP were asked to bat first after losing the toss and made a shaky start as Jisan Alam was dismissed without scoring. Habibur Rahman Sohan and Ariful then steadied the innings, adding valuable 48 runs.

Sohan scored 26 off 21 balls before departing, while captain Irfan Shukkur was dismissed for just three.

Ariful then combined with Sabbir Rahman to accelerate the scoring. Ariful struck 71 off 48 balls, smashing seven fours and two sixes.

Sabbir provided the late impetus with an unbeaten 62 off just 36 balls, featuring six fours and two sixes, as Bangladesh HP finished on high.

New Zealand A made a positive start to their chase of 182, with Ketan Clarke smashing 24 off 10 balls before being dismissed.

Max Chu and Matthew Boyle subsequently added 54 runs for the next wicket. Chu made 44 off 33 balls, while Boyle contributed 31 off 22.

Once the pair departed, Bangladesh's bowlers tightened their grip on the match and kept the required run rate under control. Josh Clarkson attempted to revive the chase, but New Zealand A eventually fell well behind.

The 23-run victory gave Bangladesh HP their third win in four matches and lifted them to the top of the points table with six points.    �"BSS