Anamul, Janat spoil Nihaduzzaman's night as Barishal down Chattogram
Chattogram Challengers' Mohammad Nihaduzzaman turned the match on its head as he picked four key wickets for 17 runs but poor fielding combined with a misfire with the ball at the death let Chattogram down in the end as Shakib-led Fortune Barishal topped the table on net-run-rate, going equal on points with Sylhet Strikers following a three-wicket win.
Barishal's Anamul Haque Bijoy played his most impactful knock in this BPL so far in chase of Chattogram's 168 for six. Having scored just one off the first 11 deliveries, Bijoy pulled two sixes off Mehedi Hasan Rana to get going. He backed it up by taking on off-spinner Shuvagata Hom for two consecutive sixes as Barishal got off to a flyer in the powerplay despite losing opener Saif Hassan to Rana in the fifth over.
Bijoy kept finding the ropes on a regular basis, picking up his fifty in just 27 deliveries before Nihaduzzaman turned the tide around. The 24-year-old left-arm spinner first deceived the tournament's top-scorer, Shakib, who yorked himself after being beaten on the flight.
Mahmudullah Riyad had a rush of blood on his very first delivery, dancing down the wicket only to be stumped for a duck and while Chaturanga de Silva thwarted the hattrick delivery, he too departed in the next over by Nihaduzzaman, stumped after being beaten by the one that turned the other way as Barishal found themselves reeling at 79 for four.
Bijoy, who laced his innings with six sixes and six fours, looked comfortable and it appeared he may even get a hundred but Mrittunjoy Chowdhury castled him with a cutter after a 50-ball 78.
In the next over, Nihaduzzaman came and got the important wicket of Iftikhar Ahmed to further rattle Barishal's chase.
However, Curtis Campher and Rana kept leaking runs.
Karim Janat was let off in the 18th over, courtesy of a dropped catch and the right-handed batter powered his way to a 12-ball 31 before falling in the final over.
Mohammad Wasim got the required runs with a boundary to get Barishal their sixth win of the tournament.
Earlier, bottom-placed Chattogram Challengers put in a commendable effort with the bat, reaching 168.
Opener Max O'Dowd held up one end as Mehedi Maruf and Unmukt Chand departed inside the Powerplay before Afif Hossain came to the crease. Max and Afif strung together a 42-run stand for the third wicket before the latter fell for a 34-ball 33.
Skipper Shuvagata Hom did not trouble the scorers for long, falling to Kamrul Islam Rabbi.
Afif looked good, finding a few boundaries during a 23-ball 37 but departed top-edging a pull off a short one from Rabbi in the 14th over as Chattogram found themselves at 102 for five.
Campher had a better outing with the bat than the ball as he hammered an unbeaten 25-ball 45 alongside Irfan Shukkur, who struck 20 before being run-out as Chattogram managed 168 for six.