Islamabad, July 11, 2025: Bangladesh pacer Khaled Ahmed stole the spotlight as defending champions Rangpur Riders kicked off their Global Super League 2025 journey with a tight yet convincing victory against home side Guyana Amazon Warriors at Providence.
After choosing to bat first, Rangpur made 162 for 5, thanks to efforts from Kyle Mayers, Soumya Sarkar, and Iftikhar Ahmed. Khaled’s four-wicket burst, along with two-wicket spells from Tabraiz Shamsi and Azmatullah Omarzai, ensured the Amazon Warriors fell short by eight runs.
Chasing 163, Amazon Warriors lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz early to fellow Afghan Omarzai. However, Johnson Charles and Moeen Ali made 48 runs in five overs to keep the hunt alive.
Once Charles and Moeen were dismissed in successive overs, the innings kept moving but lacked significant partnerships. Jewel Andrew, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, and Dwaine Pretorius all reached double figures but failed to play decisive knocks.
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Khaled played a crucial role, dismissing the dangerous Rutherford and Hetmyer in successive overs before removing Pretorius and Shamar Springer off back-to-back deliveries in the 19th over.
Omarzai wrapped up the match on the very first ball of the last over by sending back David Wiese, resulting in Amazon Warriors getting dismissed for 154.
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Earlier, Rangpur had a slow start. They reached 40 without loss after the powerplay as Saif Hassan scored at a run-a-ball pace while Sarkar was even more sluggish. The momentum shifted only when Mayers accelerated, finishing with an unbeaten 44 from 31 balls. Key late-order cameos from Nurul Hasan and Iftikhar added vital runs.
