DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – West Indies opener Johnson Charles stroked his maiden Twenty20 hundred to propel Chris Gayle’s Rangpur Riders to a 36-run over Comilla Victorians and into today’s final of the Bangladesh Premier League.
The right-hander, with a mere 38 runs from four previous knocks in tournament, chose the ideal time to unveil his best of an unbeaten 105, as Riders tallied 192 for three off their 20 overs.
Playing at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Sunday, Charles belted nine fours and seven sixes in a 63-ball knock while New Zealander Brendon McCullum blasted 78 from from 46 deliveries, with a four and nine spectacular sixes.
Sent in, Riders suffered a massive blow when superstar opener Chris Gayle departed for three in the fifth over but Charles and McCullum came together in a 151-run, second wicket stand to drive the innings.
Charles raced to his half-century off 34 balls before reaching three figures off another 28 deliveries, when he struck the penultimate ball of the innings from medium pacer Mohammad Saifuddin to the point boundary.
In reply, Charles’s Windies teammate, Marlon Samuels, could only muster 27 from 30 balls as Victorians struggled to 156 all out off their 20 overs.
Liton Das top-scored with 39 in a opening stand of 54 with Tamim Iqbal (36) but once they were separated the innings failed to find momentum again.
Samuels, batting at number five, struck two fours and a six but perished at the end of the 18th over, caught at short fine leg by Charles off Ravi Bopara’s medium pace.
Riders will face Dhaka Dynamites in the final.
