Shoriful Islam capped a remarkable Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) campaign by taking 26 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 5.84, leading his team to the final and becoming the tournament’s first-ever pace bowler to be named Player of the Tournament. Yet, the Chattogram Royals’ 63-run defeat to Rajshahi Warriors in Friday’s final left him with lingering disappointment.
Shoriful surpassed the previous record of 25 wickets set by Taskin Ahmed last season, but the glory of personal achievement could not erase the frustration of finishing as runner-up. Speaking late at a press conference, he said, “Alhamdulillah, I am happy, but if we had been champions, I think I would have felt much better. Every cricketer wants the trophy in their hands. We wanted it too.”
When asked if he had set a goal to be the top wicket-taker before the tournament, Shoriful replied, “I did not have any target to become the highest wicket-taker.” His focus had been on contributing to the team. “Before the tournament, I said I wanted to finish every match fit. If I could make even a small contribution to the team, I would be happy. Alhamdulillah, I think I did, but if we had won the final, it would have felt even better.”
