Cricket
Mohammad Isam, Bangladesh correspondent, ESPNcricinfo 6y

Chittagong Vikings let down by Bangladesh stars

Bangladesh Premier League, Cricket

Tournament review

Chittagong Vikings were the first team to be knocked out when they lost to Rajshahi Kings on November 29, seven days before the BPL's league stage ended. They won only three matches, and in no stage did their squad's combination look like a force.

What has come out from their 12 matches is that their bowlers did not match up to their batsmen, and on the few days that they did bowl well, the batsmen failed. Luke Ronchi and Sikandar Raza were their best performers by a distance while Stiaan van Zyl was occasionally effective.

Chittagong also suffered due to a lack of performances from most of the local players. Chief among them was Soumya Sarkar, who averaged 15.36 in 11 innings as a top-order batsman. Taskin Ahmed and Sunzamul Islam took 14 and 11 wickets respectively, though there were very times when they looked like match winners. Anamul Haque also struck two fifties but missed the back end through a hand injury. Fingers have also been pointed towards the capabilities of Chittagong's team management. The owners too, perhaps, need to be better prepared for the next season.

What didn't work

Chittagong's bowling attack. Taskin, Tanbir, Raza and Sunzamul bowled regularly but apart from Taskin, the others were not effective. Raza, an occasional offspinner, did better than his career average but looking at the team's scatter-gun bowling, none of the other bowlers settled into their roles properly.

What worked

Ronchi and Raza. They contributed regularly, with Ronchi applying pressure on the opposition bowlers in the Powerplay. He was their highest run-getter with 321 runs at an average of 29.18, scored two fifties in the process. His batting strike-rate finished at a shade under 170. Raza nearly made the season's first hundred while also taking his career's first four-wicket haul.

Tips for 2018

Chittagong have to focus their finances on building a stronger bowling attack, and if possible retain some of their in-form batsmen.

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