Barishal chase down mountain of runs

Fortune Barishal showed a stunning display of power hitting as they chased down 221 runs with 11 deliveries to spare when they beat Minister Group Rajshahi by an emphatic eight-wicket margin in their  high scoring Bangabandhu T20 Cup match at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla national cricket stadium on Tuesday.

The first match of the day saw some ideal T20 entertainment in the foggy condition where Rajshahi posted 220-7, the highest score by a margin in the tournament, before Barishal made it inadequate.

Young Parvez Hossain Emon emerged as the hero with his swashbuckling 42-ball ton and that also made Rajshahi skipper Nazmul Hossain Shanto’s whirlwind 109 off 55 balls futile.

Rajshahi opening pair Shanto and Aminul Islam Emon laid the foundation with a 131-run stand in 12.2 overs before Emon perished for a brilliant 69 off just 39 deliveries with seven fours and three sixes.

But Shanto kept his onslaught stroking all round the park with utter disdain. At a stage he was on 19 from same number of balls but scored as many as 90 runs in last 36 deliveries he faced to end with a storm. 

Barishal pacer Kamrul Islam Rabbi came to party in the 20th over of the innings. The right arm fast bowler, who was hammered for 39 runs in his previous three overs, took four wickets in the last over of the innings with a hat-trick.

In reply, Barishal also went off like a rocket as Tamim Iqbal and Saif Hassan scored 44 in the opening wicket in 4.2 overs before the latter got out scoring 27.

Then Tamim formed a 117-run partnership with young Emon in the second wicket which gave belief to Barishal side to chase down the mammoth total.

Skipper Tamim got out scoring 53 off 37 deliveries with seven fours and one six.

But Emon was brilliant at the other end and batted magnificently till the end to ensure a famous run chase for Barishal.

Emon struck a sixer to score the winning run in the first ball of nineteenth over and completed his century from just 42 balls. This is the fastest century scored by a Bangladeshi batsman in T20 format as the previous one was Tamim’s 50-ball century for Comilla Victorians in February 2019.

Emon’s sublime innings was composed of nine fours and seven sixes and he was adjudged man of the match.

With this win Barishal now in contention for securing a spot among top four in the five-side tournament. Rajshahi now have four points from seven matches while Barishal have four points as well but have played one less match.