Chittagong: Riding on a belligerent century from Graham Clark, Chittagong Kings cruised to a 45-run victory over Khulna Tigers to continue their winning streak in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here today. English recruit Graham Clark became the sixth batter this season to hit a century, and before being dismissed, he hammered 101 runs off 50 balls with seven fours and six sixes.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Clark's knock helped the team post a formidable total of 200-7, which proved too challenging for Khulna, who were eventually restricted to 155-9. Khulna has now lost four consecutive matches after winning their first two, while this victory marked Chittagong's fourth win in five games.
Opener Parvez Hossain Emon contributed the next-best score with a 29-ball 39, playing a supporting role to Clark. Chittagong had a shaky start after being sent in to bat first, with in-form Usman Khan dismissed for just 10. However, Clark and Emon's 128-run partnership for the second wicket put the team back in control.
The partnership ended when Mohammad Nawaz dismissed Emon, but at that point, Chittagong was on track to surpass 200 runs. Khulna fought back strongly when Salman Irshad dismissed Clark shortly after he reached his second T20 century. After Clark's dismissal, Chittagong managed to add only 32 runs in the final four overs, reaching the 200-run mark with some difficulty.
Pakistan recruits Salman Irshad and Mohammad Nawaz each took three wickets for Khulna. However, Khulna's struggle was evident as they were reduced to 42-3, losing Naim Sheikh, Dom Sibley, and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz early, with Miraz being the only one from the top three to reach double digits.
The middle order struggled as well, with Afif Hossain and Darwish Rasooli failing to convert their starts into significant scores. Rasooli top-scored with 37, while Afif was out for 20. Mohammad Nawaz added 25 runs later, only reducing the margin of defeat.