Malan shines as Chittagong suffer consecutive losses at home

Fortune Barishal cruised to a comfortable six-wicket win over Chittagong Kings in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on 19 January at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Despite some early setbacks, a composed fifty from Dawid Malan and support from Mohammad Nabi ensured Barishal chased down the modest target of 122 with 19 balls to spare.

Winning the toss, Barishal elected to field first. Chittagong's innings got off to a shaky start, with opener Usman Khan briefly flashing promise before being dismissed for 19 off 13 balls. Graham Clark followed suit in the same over, managing just 8 runs from 4 balls.

Parvez Hossain Emon, the other opener, departed shortly after for a single run, leaving the Kings reeling. Skipper Mohammad Mithun tried to steady the innings, but the procession of wickets continued. Both Haider Ali and Shamim Hossain fell during the powerplay, with Chittagong limping to 39 for 5 after six overs.

Post-powerplay, Aliss Al Islam was dismissed for a duck, putting additional pressure on Mithun, who fought hard to keep Chittagong in the game. Arafat Sunny joined him at the crease, and together they attempted to rebuild the innings. Mithun's efforts yielded 35 runs from 34 balls before he was dismissed with the team's score at 87.

Sunny remained unbeaten, scoring 27 off 34 balls, as Chittagong managed a below-par total of 121 for 8 in their 20 overs. For Barishal, Ripon Mondal and Faheem Ashraf each claimed three wickets, with Tanvir Islam taking two.

Barishal's chase began with a moment of tension between openers Tamim Iqbal and Dawid Malan. In the fourth over, Tamim was run out after Malan hesitated to take a single. Clearly frustrated, Tamim gestured at Malan as he left the field, while Chittagong players stepped in to defuse the situation.

Barishal faced further challenges as Towhid Hridoy fell cheaply for just 1 run. Mushfiqur Rahim's brief innings of 11 off 10 balls ended soon after, leaving Barishal at 32 for 3.

Amid the pressure, Malan anchored the innings with a composed knock. He found support from Mahmudullah Riyad, who scored 16 runs off 11 balls before departing. Malan then partnered with Mohammad Nabi, and together they paced the innings with caution and control.

Malan reached his fifty with a mix of smart shot selection and well-timed boundaries. Nabi's unbeaten 26 off 21 balls complemented Malan's effort as Barishal secured the win with 19 balls remaining. Malan finished unbeaten on 56 off 41 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes.

Chittagong's Khaled Ahmed picked up two wickets, while Arafat Sunny claimed one, but their efforts were not enough to stop Barishal.