Chittagong Vikings registered their fourth victory, the third in a row in BPL-4 to revive their race to the top four, crushing Barisal Bulls by 78 runs yesterday in the last game of the Chittagong phase at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Two sixty plus knocks from Dwayne Smith and Shoaib Malik lifted Chittagong to a hefty 185 for five total after which Mohammad Nabi amended his rare batting failure with three for 16 to help the side wrap up Barisal Bulls innings for 107 in 18.4 overs.
Opener Smith set the tune with a superb 69 off 49 while Malik played a marauding 30-ball 63 to leave Barisal Bulls in need for the highest successful chase of the season if they wanted to win the game. Captain Tamim Iqbal played a run-a-ball 19 runs to help Smith get the innings off to a whirlwind start before he perished to a loose shot off Kamrul Islam Rabbi.
In-form Anamul Haque Bijoy was not at his best but Smith found the gap in regular interval to keep the scoreboard ticking. However, when Thisara Perera got rid of Bijoy on 13, Smith got an apt support from Malik who initially played with soft hands.
Smith made the necessary carnage to inflict a mental damage to Barisal bowlers whose good balls even weren’t enough to curb his aggression.
After all the good work, Smith was dismissed by a poor delivered by Perera as he couldn’t generate required power to clear the boundary. Smith struck six boundaries and three sixes in his knock.
Rabbi then got the prized scalp of Mohammad Nabi (4) who was the architect of Chittagong’s two consecutive wins.
But Malik stood tall and did what Nabi did in  last two matches. He helped Chittagong amass 66 runs in the last five overs with a galore of four and sixes. He was dismissed in the last over after trying to add another boundary to his nine fours and two sixes.
Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Thisara Perera scalped two wickets apiece.
In pursuit of a daunting chase, Barisal Bulls made a horrendous start. Mohammad Nabi jolted the chase, dealing a double strike in his first over as he accounted two openers—Dawid Malan (5) and Nadif Chowdhury (4). He also took the big wicket of big hitter Jeevan Mendis, reducing Barisal to 12 for four in the fourth over thanks to the other strike by pacer Shuvashis Roy.
Barisal needed a miracle to win the match from that stage but when Taskin Ahmed got rid of captain Mushfiqur Rahim for 19 in his first over, the fate was sealed. However Enamul Haque, who made his T20 debut yestreday, resisted and bailed the side out of ultimate shamble by sharing a 42-run partnership with Taijul Islam (12). His unbeaten 42 off 37 that was studded with one four and four sixes just reduced the margin of defeat.