Dhaka: Opener Parvez Hossain Emon blasted a 41-ball 75 as Chittagong Kings thrashed Fortune Barishal by 24 runs, a victory that put them in the top two of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) points table at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, despite the defeat that snapped their five-match winning streak, Barishal ended the group phase as table toppers with 18 points from 12 matches. Chittagong and Rangpur Riders share the same 16 points, but the former displaced the latter from the second position, thanks to a better run rate.
Chittagong will face Barishal in Qualifier 1, a game that will determine who will make it to the final directly. The team that loses will get a second chance to aim for the final.
Third-placed Rangpur Riders will take on Khulna Tigers in the Eliminator. The team that loses the Eliminator game will be eliminated from the race directly, while the Eliminator winner will take on the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2.
Both the Elimi
nator and Qualifier 1 games will be held on Monday, while Qualifier 2, a virtual semi-final, will take place on Wednesday.
Thanks to Emon’s performance, Chittagong Kings posted a mammoth 206-4, a target that was enough to seal the deal as Barishal were held back to 182-7.
Put into bat first, Emon and Khawaja Nafay added 58 runs for the opening stand in just 6.5 overs to lay a solid base. Despite the departure of Nafay for 22, Emon continued to push the scoreboard at 10 runs per over.
He hit one four and eight sixes in his knock, which ended when he top-edged a delivery from fast bowler Ebadot Hossain.
Hadier Ali hammered an unbeaten 42 off 23 balls, and Shamim Patwari made 30 not out off 12 to help the side finish strongly.
Fast bowler Binura Fernando and off-spinner Aliss Al Islam took two wickets each to leave Barishal struggling while chasing the massive target.
Fernando dismissed Tamim Iqbal in the first over for a duck as Barishal made a poor start at 13-2. Dawid Malan and Mushfiqur Rahim resisted,
but when it seemed they might help the side recover from the shaky start, Aliss dismissed Mushfiqur for 24.
Malan waged a lone battle before Aliss struck again to claim his prized wicket. Before being dismissed, Malan top-scored for the side with a 34-ball 62, a knock featuring five fours and six sixes.
Veteran Mahmudullah remained not out on 41 off 26 balls after hitting two fours and as many sixes, but his effort was not enough to secure victory for the side.