Chattogram Challengers vs Sylhet Thunder, Bangladesh Premier League 2020, Today Match Prediction 17 Dec 2019

cgc vs sth Match Prediction & Analysis

It is a game between the 3rd placed Chattogram Challengers and 6th placed Sylhet Thunder and the latter badly need a win as they look to revive their campaign after a bad beginning. It won’t be easy at all as Chattogram is coming off an impressive win against Rangpur Rangers.

While Naim Sheikh did threaten to take his side Rangpur to a daunting total, batsmen around him didn’t provide enough support as the likes of Kesrick Williams, Ryan Burl and Mahmudullah did very well for Chattogram. In return, Chattogram made easy work of the 158-run target as the top order consisting of Chadwick Walton, Avishka Fernando, and Imrul Kayes came up with really impressive knocks. There was a slight stutter in the end but Chattogram still sailed home with 10 balls to spare.

On the other hand, very few things have gone right for Sylhet Thunder and that has resulted in three consecutive losses. The most recent of those losses came against Dhaka Platoon where Sylhet possibly put themselves out of contention after the first inning itself. Sylhet's bowling was unimpressive as a healthy 85-run opening stand helped Dhaka to set up a target of 183. In return, Sylhet were never in the chase as it was only a nicely compiled fifty from skipper Mosaddek Hossain that brought some respectability to the team's total of 158-7.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Chattogram Challengers Preview

Clearly, Chattogram Challengers' strength is their batting and more particularly the top-order. Chadwick Walton and Imrul Kayes, have been really consistent and jointly top the run-scoring charts. Walton's opening partner Avishka Fernando has also been destructive with this six-hitting and this has meant that opposition teams have been left short of ideas so far.

If they are not enough, some quality batsmen in the form of Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain and Ryan Burl lend exceptional depth to the batting line-up. These three players are also valuable as they can chip in with the ball like Mahmudullah and Ryan Burl did in the previous match against Rangpur Rangers. Apart from them, the trio of Mahedi Hasan Rana, Kesrick Williams, and Rubel Hossain provide a lot of variety to the bowling attack. Rubel Hossain has been the pick of the bowlers with three wickets in three matches.

Chattogram Challengers Predicted Playing XI:

Chadwick Walton Avishka Fernando, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah (C), Nasir Hossain, Nurul Hasan (WK), Muktar Ali, Kesrick Williams, Rubel Hossain, Mahedi Hasan Rana

Chattogram Challengers Actual Playing XI:

Chadwick Walton, Nurul Hasan, Mahmudullah, Avishka Fernando, Muktar Ali, Nasum Ahmed, Kesrick Williams, LMP Simmons, Rubel Hossain, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Imrul Kayes

Sylhet Thunder Preview

The problem for their opponents Sylhet Thunder who are under pressure is the fact that the bowling has lacked any sort of penetration. Although the team did get out for a paltry 91, the bowling seems more of a worry as of now. Their overseas bowler, Krishmar Santokie has been underwhelming so far and the local young talent has also failed to step up to the plate until now.

In the last match, the lack of quality meant that Dhaka Platoon piled on 182 runs. This might force Sylhet to either bring in Sohag Gazi or Mohammad Sami if he is available for selection. Batting-wise, one could say that Sylhet has not performed up to general expectations. Be it Mohammad Mithun's 84 or Mosaddek Hossain's 60, Sylhet Thunder has mostly depended upon individual knocks while the other batsmen have failed to convert their starts. It is high time that the likes of Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, and Rony Talukdar to deliver quality performances.

Sylhet Thunder Predicted Playing XI:

Rony Talukdar, Andre Fletcher, Johnson Charles, Mohammad Mithun (WK), Shafiqullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Delwar Hossain/Sohaz Gazi, Nazmul Islam, Krishmar Santokie/ Naveen Ul Haq, Ebadot Hossain

Sylhet Thunder Actual Playing XI:

Ebadat Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Delwar Hossain, R Talukdar, Nayeem Hasan, Krishmar Santokie, Nazmul Islam, Shafiqullah, Mohammad Mithun, J Charles, ADS Fletcher

Weather Conditions

In the previous season, Chattogram hosted some very high-scoring games. With this match set to be played on a fresh pitch given that it will be only the second fixture this season, pitches of a similarly batting-friendly nature could be expected. With respect to the weather, plenty of sunshine can be expected both on the match-day and also days preceding it.

Venue Details

Apart from the Shere Bangla National Stadium, the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram is another popular cricket venue in Bangladesh. While the batting-friendly nature can’t be reflected in a better way than looking at Mominul Haque's phenomenal record of registering six Test centuries at this venue, the ZACS Stadium has also witnessed historic occasions like Bangladesh’s first win against England in a World Cup and also the country's first ODI series win against South Africa.

Toss: To Bowl

Last season, teams batting second under lights had a pretty decent record in spite of them needing to chase down big totals. So, the same should be preferred by the two captains since this is a Day-Night fitxure.