Titans triumph to take top spot

Khulna Titans reached the top of the seven-team Bangladesh Premier League table with a convincing 22-run win over Barisal Bulls at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong yesterday. The Titans were powered by a couple of sparkling innings from skipper Mahmudullah Riyad and Riki Wessels, before Shafiul Islam notched career-best T20 figures of four for 17 to skittle Barisal out for 129 in 19.3 overs.

Barisal had dithered too long in their chase of 151, and the loss of skipper Mushfiqur Rahim in the 16th over left them needing 54 runs from just 26 balls with just four wickets in hand. Kevon Cooper then got rid of Nadif Chowdhury and Junaid Khan had Rayad Emrit caught in the deep. It was then left for Shafiul to complete a second four-wicket haul by bowling Rumman Raees and having Taijul Islam caught in the deep in the last over. 

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In chase of a challenging score, Barisal were pegged back by the wickets of openers Fazle Mahmud and Jeevan Mendis, both of whom departed within four overs to leave the Bulls wobbling at 25 for two. Fazle was trapped in front off the eighth ball of the innings delivered by Junaid Khan, while Mendis was caught at mid on, giving Shafiul Islam his first wicket.

In-form batsman Shahriar Nafees and Shamsur Rahman then tried to rebuild, but they were too slow in their efforts and heaped the pressure on themselves, which only increased when Shamsur fell to Mahmudullah in the 10th over with just 45 on the board. Barisal's last real hopes were then together at the crease when Mushfiqur Rahim joined Nafees,  who was progressing too slowly. Mushfiqur, however, responded brilliantly with four boundaries in the next three overs.

At the end of the 13th over 73 runs were needed and the two batsmen able to pull it off were at the crease. But Mosharraf Hossain had Nafees caught at long on for a mediocre 35-ball 28, and then followed it up with the wicket of big-hitting Thisara Perera in the same over. Mushfiqur was the only man standing with 12 an over needed off the last five, but the pressure was too much for the usually indomitable national Test captain, and he holed out to deep midwicket off Shafiul in the 16th over for a 23-ball 35.   

Earlier, fresh off a match-winning innings against league leaders Dhaka Dynamites on Saturday, Mahmudullah top-scored with a quickfire 44 to help his team to a fighting total of 151 for seven after being asked to bat first.

It was Mahmudullah and Riki Wessel's 53-run partnership in 6.1 overs that set Khulna back on track after a brilliant opening spell from left-arm spinner Taijul Islam who bowled a double-wicket over, the fifth of the innings, to get rid of openers Andre Fletcher and Hasanuzzaman. Both were caught trying to clear long on, but that was a result of Taijul conceding just four runs in his first two overs. The left-armer finished the over with figures of two for eight after three, and later added the wicket of Mahmudullah, who after hitting a straight six in the 11th over fell to Taijul's brave ploy to flight the very next ball and was caught at short third man.

Mahmudullah hit three fours and two sixes in his 26-ball knock, including a four and a six off Fazle Mahmud in the 10th over, which was the middle of a three-over period that netted the Titans 33 runs. That purple patch ended with Mahmudullah's wicket, and the tide seemed to have turned back in Barisal's favour when off the very first ball of the next over, Shuvagata Hom was run out at the striker's end despite Wessels shouting a loud 'No!' after he completed the single through a nudge to long on.

Scenes from a match between Barisal Bulls and Khulna Titans during BPL 2016. File Photo: Anurup Kanti Das

But Wessels ensured that all the good work of his skipper was not undone. He had played second fiddle in their partnership -- he was on five off 11 when Mahmudullah departed -- but he took charge from then on, hitting five fours and a six from the 12th over to the 17th, when he was the fifth man out for a 29-ball 40, bowled by Rayad Emrit. Kevon Cooper followed in the next over, gloving a pull off Rumman Raees to the keeper.

From 128 for six in the 18th over, Ariful Haque and Taibur Rahman carried the score to 151, on which score the latter departed caught at mid off in the last ball of the innings delivered by Perera.