Fortune Barishal end Khulna Tigers’s unbeaten run

Fortune Barishal finally ended Khulna Tigers’ unbeaten run in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League after they beat the table-toppers by five wickets during a last-over thriller at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Barishal’s Pakistani recruit Shoaib Malik showcased a brilliant all-round performance in their victory as the veteran claimed 2-24 in his four overs to restrict Khulna to 155-8 before he struck an unbeaten 41 off 25 balls to guide Barishal to 156-5 in 19.4 overs to clinch their third win in the tournament.

Chasing a modest target, Barishal were left struggling at 101-5 in the 16th over after Khulna’s Faheem Ashraf took three wickets which included Tamim Iqbal (20), Soumya Sarkar (26) and Mahmudullah (four).

Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who came to the crease after Mahmudullah’s dismissal, then struck a late cameo off 31 off 15 balls and also shared 55 runs off just 23 balls with Malik to end Khulna’s four-match winning streak in the tournament.

When Barishal required 37 runs in the last two overs, Miraz hit two sixes off Mohammad Wasim Jnr’s penultimate over to make the equation 18 in the last over.

Miraz then hit Dasun Shanaka a six in the final over while Malik hit a four and a six to confirm Barishal’s dramatic win with two balls to spare.

“We were 70 percent on the back foot until 12-13 overs. From that point, Miraz and Malik bhai played brilliant knocks to ensure our comeback. I won’t say we weren’t tense. Everyone was thinking whether we will win or lose,” Barishal’s left-arm spinner Taijul Islam said after the match.

Earlier, Barishal bowlers rocked Khulna’s in-form batting order and reduced them to 88-7 in the 16th over after they elected to bowl first in their last Sylhet phase match.

Khulna’s two Pakistan recruits Mohammad Nawaz (38 off 23 balls not out) and Ashraf (32 off 13 balls), however, showcased a great fight back as they shared 67 runs off just 24 balls to give Khulna post a challenging total on board.

Barishal’s Malik and Taijul took two wickets each in Khulna innings.