Miraz, Chattogram offset blues

It was the penultimate delivery of the final over of the Khulna Tigers innings and everything had come to a head since Chattogram Challengers began their BPL campaign, cascading towards that penultimate delivery yesterday. It was symbolic that Mehedi Hasan Miraz had the ball in hand, shorn off captaincy role under dramatic circumstances during the Chattogram phase. There was grief and war of words after that incident, but yesterday Miraz was not shy of doing his bit, instigating, instructing the other youngsters. He was the one dictating terms.

Andre Fletcher was on strike, nine needed off two deliveries. Miraz had gotten away with a poor delivery the ball before but held his nerve, putting in a perfect delivery in the blockhole that did not allow Fletcher -- batting on a scintillating 79 then -- any room for a heavy bat-swing. The west Indian could only manage a single, leaving an impossible eight needed off the last ball. Miraz took a high catch off the last bowl, dispelling his own personal blues. The young ones rushed in to meet Miraz and celebrate the seven-run win, having struggled throughout the tournament over changes in captaincy and coaching staff and being in the focus of a media hailstorm. That they did it without their ace batsman Will Jacks, who suffered from food poisoning just before the game, just put the stamp on what has been a bag of surprises from this Chattogram side.

Without Jacks to carry them, Chattogram had stuttered to 66 for four in 10 overs before recovering with the bat and finally bagging the victory. Khulna captain Mushfiqur Rahim, feeling the aftereffects of being at the wrong end of the result, said bowling was where they let themselves down.

"Our main collapse happened with the ball. They had lost their top three wickets and half the overs down were gone. Whoever is there after that, if you concede 130-something runs, it's not expected," Mushfiqur said.

Chadwick Walton, who found it hard to get going throughout the tournament, hammered an unbeaten 40-ball 89 in a record 115-run stand earlier with Miraz, who himself struck a 30-ball 36 as Chattogram reached 189 for five.

Fletcher cut loose for Khulna following his ton the other day with a brilliant 80 off 58 balls. Mushfiqur's 43(29) and Yasir Ali's 45 (24) almost got them home. But in the end that last over from Miraz, who defended the 16 runs required, offset his and Chattogram's blues.