High-scoring games always pleasing for batters: Neesham

Rangpur Riders all-rounder Jimmy Neesham embraced the frequency of long-awaited high-scoring contests in the second half of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).  

The tournament showed signs of life after it returned to Dhaka and picked up pace once it moved to Chattogram as it has seen a stark decline in dull and low-scoring affairs which was the main feature in the first phase in Dhaka followed by the Sylhet phase. 

Neesham has been in the mix of it as he took no time to settle into the BPL. The 33-year-old displayed his class as he marked his BPL debut with a 26-ball 51-run knock and two wickets with the ball which helped his side to a thumping 53-run win over Chattogram Challengers.

"There's a good quality of cricketer. Obviously, there are new players turning up every day, pretty much coming from other tournaments. So yes, some really strong teams and some high-scoring games as well, which is always pleasing as a batter and hopefully we can continue to have some high-scoring content and keep winning," Neesham told the media on Thursday. 

In past editions, Chattogram and Sylhet have produced good wickets that aided the free flow of runs. But the latter venue failed to accommodate batting-friendly conditions which presented several dull contests. There were also questions about the quality of cricket the players, particularly local, managed to deliver. 

Chattogram, so far, however, has lived up to its reputation as batters have had a much easier time to play their shots and pile on the runs. An influx of renowned international players has also helped to elevate the quality of cricket late in the tournament. 

Table-toppers Rangpur Riders, who sit top by virtue of a better net run rate, are equal on 14 points with defending Comilla Victorians after nine matches.

Considering the form and quality of players at their disposal, both sides appear to be in pole position to keep hold of the Qualifier spots.

Rangpur play Chattogram Challengers tomorrow at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the evening game.