Holder sinks Khulna, says Miraz

It was the 18th over of the match, with Chittagong Kings needing 34 runs to win. At the crease were two spinners, Arafat Sunny and Aliss Al Islam. Considering the situation, Khulna Tigers' captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz handed the ball to West Indies' experienced all-rounder Jason Holder. In that over, Holder conceded 13 runs, including a four and a six. Miraz believes this is where Khulna lost their grip on the match.

Following Khulna's narrow two-run defeat to Chittagong in the second qualifier of the BPL on Wednesday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Miraz was critical of Holder's performance. The skipper admitted he hadn't expected such poor bowling from an experienced cricketer like Holder. However, he refrained from blaming pacer Mushfik Hasan for failing to defend 15 runs in the final over, asserting instead that it was Holder who cost them the match.

The boundaries conceded in the 18th over made Miraz hesitant to trust Holder with the final over. Explaining the endgame strategy at the post-match press conference, Miraz said,
"The plan was based on Holder's previous over. Chittagong needed 32 runs from 14 balls at that point. He gave away a six and a four in a single over. That's where the match started slipping away. When an experienced bowler concedes boundaries against tail-enders in such a crucial phase, it becomes really tough for the team."

Regarding the decision to give Mushfik the final over instead of Holder, Miraz added,
"From there, Hasan (Mahmud) bowled really well, which is why we were able to push the match to the last over with 15 runs to defend. If I had given the over to Mushfik earlier and he'd conceded 12–13 runs, the situation in the final over would've been the same—needing 10–12 runs. That's why I wasn't confident about Holder because of the way he bowled those two deliveries. At least Mushfik had already bowled two excellent overs and even took a key wicket. Considering that, I decided to hand him the final over."

Even while discussing the strategy for the last delivery, Miraz indirectly held Holder responsible for the defeat. The Khulna captain said,
"Our plan was to keep asking Mushfik what he wanted to do because, at that point, the bowler's preference is crucial. I wasn't the one bowling—he was. I kept asking him, 'What do you want to do?' because confidence in your own plan matters. He said, 'Bhai, I'll bowl a yorker.' Then I asked, 'Where do you think it'll be most effective?' He replied, 'Bhai, I'll aim for the stumps.' So, I told him to focus on executing the yorker at the stumps."

"I'm not blaming him because he's played under pressure before, and he's just returned after a long injury layoff. Given the circumstances, he bowled well. Playing after such a break in a high-pressure situation is extremely tough. I don't blame him for that final over. I believe Holder's two deliveries were the turning point. He's very experienced, having played in tournaments all over the world. I didn't expect him to concede a six and a four in two balls. That's where half the match slipped away from us," Miraz concluded.