Jayed, Ariful deliver easy win

With all the focus on the lack of quality performances from Bangladeshi players in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, Khulna Titans bucked the trend as they rode on career-best performances from locals Ariful Haque and Abu Jayed to clinch an 18-run win over Chittagong Vikings at the Sher-e-Bangla National stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Ariful, whose previous best score in T20s was 33, went on to score a hurricane 25-ball 40 as Khulna added 48 runs off the last three overs, which Chittagong skipper Misbahul Haq identified as the difference-maker,  to post 170 for seven.

With the ball, pacer Jayed surpassed his previous best bowling figures of three for 20 with a haul of four for 35 from four overs as the Vikings were restricted to 152 for seven.

Khulna are looking strong with two wins from three games, while Vikings lost their second game in a row and will have to lift their standards as the tournament progresses.

Right-arm pacer Jayed picked up consecutive wickets in the very first over, removing in-form Kiwi opener Luke Ronchi (2) off the third ball, before fellow opener Soumya Sarkar followed without troubling the scorers to leave the team on two for two.

The Vikings were never able to recover after that; Zimbabwean Sikandar Raza's 27-ball 37 with three fours and two sixes was the highest score while Misbah added 30 off 37, but it was not enough to stay abreast of the asking rate.

Earlier, after being asked to bat, Khulna lost Chadrick Walton (5), Michael Klinger (2) and Nazmul Hossain (9) early and were struggling on 29 for three inside five overs.

Skipper Mahmudullah and South African Rilee Rossouw then started the rebuilding process and added 39 runs for the fourth wicket before the latter was dismissed after scoring 25 off 26, caught at deep square leg off the bowling of pacer Taskin Ahmed.

But Khulna started to build momentum after Ariful's arrival to the crease; the 24-year-old launched a straight six over leg spinner Tanbir Hayder's head in the 15th over.

Skipper Mahmudullah Riyad, who held the innings together from one end, departed after Anamul Haque took a brilliant catch at point off Taskin, diving in front to dismiss the batsman for 40 off 33 balls with two fours and two sixes.

Ariful then took on leg-spinner Tanbir, hammering three sixes and a four to take 24 runs off the 18th over. Meanwhile, West Indian big hitter Carlos Brathwaite, who opened his account with a slap over long on for a six off Taskin, scored a quickfire 14 ball 30 which included three sixes and two fours.

Taskin picked up four wickets but conceded 43 runs from his four overs while Sunzamul took two wickets for Chittagong.