Shakib stars again as Barishal knock Khulna out of BPL

All-round Fortune Barishal knocked Khulna Tigers out of the BPL as the tournament shifted to Dhaka again. This was Khulna's fifth straight loss in the event. On the contrary, Shakib's Barishal consolidated their position at the top two with another resounding 37-run win.  

Chasing a massive 195, Khulna's progress was dented by quick wickets up front. They lost four batters inside eight overs and could never quite recover from that despite a valiant effort from Yasir Ali.

Yasir played another excellent knock in a losing cause. He walked out to bat when Khulna were reeling at 48 for three in the seventh over and before being dismissed in the 18th over, the right-hander smashed five fours and three sixes en route to his 60 off 38 deliveries. 

But a lack of support from others meant Yasir's fifty was never going to be enough. Karim Janat was the pick of the bowlers with four for 29. Khaled Ahmed also picked up two wickets. 

Barishal opted for a new opening pair with Fazle Mahmud initiating the innings along with Anamul Haque. Although Anamul fell after a brisk start, Mahmud made good use of the field restrictions in the first six overs and helped his team have a great powerplay (62/1). 

Mahmud hit four fours and two sixes in his 29-ball-39. After a few quiet overs, the in-form duo of Shakib Al Hasan and Iftikhar Ahmed took charge and added 52 off just 36 balls to set things up for a big total. 

Shakib, after two single-digit scores, was back to his elements again as his 36 off just 21 was studded with four sixes and a four. 

Iftikhar remained a key weapon in Barishal's arsenal especially in the second half of the innings and his 51* off 31 helped them score 79 off the final five. Little cameos from Karim Janat and Mahmudullah helped Barishal post 194 for five after 20 overs.

Paul van Meekeren (3/48) picked up three wickets but was very expensive. The local spin trio of Nasum Ahmed, Nahidul Islam and Hasan Murad kept the run flow in check but Barishal batters took a particular liking to the pacers.

Khulna skipper Shai Hope said they did not bowl particularly well and would play the remaining matches to salvage some pride. "Hindsight is the best sight, but I don't think it [batting first] would have made a big difference. We have to do whatever we do first, well. We bowled too many scoring opportunities and made it too easy. It is tough (on Khulna's elimination) but we will try to play with a lot of pride."

Shakib, who was adjudged the player of the match for his all-round showing said it's important for him how they play rather than the results of the matches. "After the last game, we had a good chat among ourselves on how to improve. It wasn't about winning or losing, it was about how we played. We knew what we are capable of and showed it today," he said.

"Everyone was hungry to win and performed well today. Every game from now on is important. We have two more games and then the qualifiers. If we win both the remaining games, we will finish in the top-two and that is important for us. We tried all the players in our squad, everyone got a chance so I'm really happy. We've got a good combination depending on the opposition. Happy with the way I'm contributing and a long way to go," Shakib added.