After a good start, Rajshahi’s captain Enamul Haque played a slow inning, while Barisal’s captain Tamim Iqbal led his team to victory with an outstanding batting performance.
The batting of both team captains was the highlight of the match. Enamul Haque played an unexpected inning, scoring 21 from the first 11 balls with five boundaries. But over the next 24 balls, he failed to hit a single boundary. By the time Rajshahi’s captain was dismissed in the penultimate over, he had only scored 39 runs from 35 balls! Following his slow inning, Rajshahi struggled to post a big total, allowing Barisal’s chase to become an easy task, thanks to Tamim Iqbal’s brilliant batting.
Tamim had a strong start in the previous match but couldn’t build his innings. This time, he provided a solid start, carried the momentum in the middle, and led his team to victory, finishing unbeaten with 86 runs off 48 balls, including 11 fours and 3 sixes.
Barisal defeated Rajshahi again, the team they had beaten in the opening match. The defending champions secured a 7-wicket victory at Sylhet International Stadium on Monday.
After Enamul’s slow innings, Ryan Burl’s equally slow performance helped Rajshahi reach 168 in 20 overs, losing just 4 wickets. When Barisal chased the target, Tamim finished it with a six, still having 15 balls left.
Failed Performances from Pritom
Mushfiqur Rahim, who was injured in the previous match, couldn’t keep wickets today. Instead, Pritom Kumar was given the gloves, and national captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto had to sit out.
Pritom, opening the innings with Tamim, couldn’t capitalize on his chance, getting bowled for just 3 runs off 9 balls by Mohor Sheikh.
Tamim and Myers’ Brilliant Strokeplay
Despite a slow start in the first three overs, where Barisal managed just 12 runs, things changed dramatically after Pritom’s dismissal. Myers came in at number three and hit a huge six in his first over, followed by a series of boundaries by both him and Tamim. In the following over, Tamim hit three consecutive fours, and Myers added another.
In the last over of the powerplay, Myers hit two consecutive sixes and a four, before getting bowled for 24 off 10 balls by Mohor. Tamim’s brilliance continued, and Barisal ended the powerplay with 50 runs in three overs.
Shafiul’s Consistency
In his first match of the tournament, Shafiul Islam gave away 20 runs in his first over, and in his next match, 22 runs. In this game, the experienced pacer gave away 18 runs in his first over, all in the powerplay.
Despite not performing well, Shafiul continued to bowl in the powerplay, raising questions about his role.
Tamim and Mushfiq’s Partnership
Tawhid Hridoy couldn’t score big again, getting dismissed for just 13 runs off 14 balls. But Tamim didn’t let Barisal struggle, playing aggressive shots throughout. Mushfiqur Rahim provided solid support, and the two took the game away from Rajshahi, adding 76 runs in 45 balls. Mushfiq played cautiously at first, but as Tamim grew more aggressive, Mushfiq picked up the pace, hitting a stunning six off Taskin’s bowling. Mushfiq remained unbeaten on 34 off 24 balls.
Jisan’s Challenge and Relief
Rajshahi started their innings after losing the toss. Jisan Alam, who had been dismissed for zero in the first two matches, opened the innings in this game and scored his first runs in the tournament with a four off Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Rajshahi managed 60 runs in the powerplay, with Jisan playing a key role, hitting boundaries and sixes. But after a good start, he fell to Fahim Ashraf for 38 runs off 27 balls.
Enamul’s Strange Inning
Enamul started positively, hitting five boundaries in the first 11 balls, but then slowed down dramatically. Yasir Ali Chowdhury also started slowly, and the team’s run rate dropped. Enamul, after hitting boundaries earlier, failed to find any for the next 24 balls. He was dismissed for 39 off 35 balls in the 19th over.
No Final Burst
Enamul’s failure to finish the innings was compounded by Ryan Burl’s slow batting, as he managed only 10 runs from 11 balls. In the final over, Akbar Ali scored 15 runs off 9 balls, but Rajshahi could only manage 35 runs in the last 5 overs.
It seemed unlikely that Rajshahi could set a big target, given the small boundaries and their slow batting. Tamim and his team confirmed this by chasing down the target easily.
Match Summary:
Durbar Rajshahi: 20 overs, 168/4 (Haris 22, Jisan 38, Enamul 39, Yasir 37, Burl 10*, Akbar 15*, Myers 2-0-18-0, Afridi 4-0-20-2, Jahandad 4-0-47-0, Tanvir 3-0-27-1, Rishad 3-0-26-0, Fahim 4-0-27-1).
Fortune Barisal: 17.3 overs, 169/3 (Tamim 86*, Pritom 3, Myers 24, Hridoy 13, Mushfiq 34*; Taskin 4-0-27-1, Jisan 4-25-1, Mohor 2-0-32-1, Shafiul 2-0-22-0, Burl 3-0-26-0, Murad 2.3-0-32-0).
Result: Fortune Barisal won by 7 wickets.
Man of the Match: Tamim Iqbal.
