BPL Qualifier-1
Khulna to face Dhaka again
Sports Reporter
Captain Mahmudullah Riyad propelled Khulna Titans to the top four, hitting a brilliant 28 ball-50 as his side overcame a mighty Dhaka Dynamites by six wickets yesterday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The victory helped Khulna move the second spot of the point table of BPL-4 with 14 points, setting a rematch against table topper Dhaka (16 points) in the Qualifier-1. The looser of the qualifier-1 will get another chance to seal the final of the BPL as they will take on the winner of the Eliminator game in Qualifier-2. Chittagong Vikings, the No. third team of the point table takes on Rajshahi Kings, the bottom table of the top four in the Eliminator game. The looser of this game will be eliminated straightway. Both the Eliminator and Qualifier-1 game will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) while the Qualifier-2 game will be taken place on Wednesday.
After Dhaka posted 158 for seven, Khulna needed to pile up their best score in the tournament to win the game. They never amassed more than 157 runs either batting first or batting second. Thanks to Riyads captains knock of 50, they got to the winning mark with two overs to spare.
Even though they lost opener Andre Fletcher cheaply in the third over, another opener Hasanuzzaman gave them a quick start, hitting 40 off 19 with three fours and as many sixes.
Riyad utilised the platform set by Hasan astutely to steer the side to the victory mark. He shared two important partnerships46 with Abdul Majid (21) and 44 with Benny Howell to take the side on the verge of the victory.
Tanvir Haider removed him after he reached the half-century and denied him taking the side home but Howell, unbeaten on 26, did the rest. Riyad hit five fours and two sixes in his match-winning knock.
Dhaka dropped their some regular performers in the match in what was considered as dead-rubber for them. Still their batting line up showed they have enough bench strength what could demolish any side in the tournament. Kumar Sangakkara led the team with 41 ball-59, which paved a nice platform for Dhaka. considering the start, Dhaka was due to amass a bigger total but a mini collapse coupled with Khulna bowlers tight bowling halfway through the innings, restricted them to a total that definitely wouldnt satisfy them.
Sangakkara shared 58 runs with Mehedi Maruf in the opening in just seven overs. The partnership looked threatening but a misunderstanding between them resulted in Marufs run-out dismissal after he scored run-a-ball-16. Despite losing his partner, Sangakkara wasnt distracted from his concentration and took the bowlers in disdain before Benny Howell gave Khulna a reason to smile by scattering his wicket. He sent the ball across the rope for eight times. Khulna then got back into the game by trapping Nasir Hossain run out and taking the prized scalp of Shakib Al Hasan (11) courtesy to Junaid Khan in a short space. Their departure stemmed the run flow suddenly as Junaid Khan bowled some tidy overs, sparking the mini collapse. However Sekugge Prasanna and Mosaddek Hossain Saikat hit some lusty blow to propel the side past 150. Saikat made 20 off 18 with two fours and a six while Prasanna scored 14 off eight. Junaid Khan was the most successful bowler for Khulna Titans with three for 22.
