Chattogram maintain 100% winning record

It was another assured performance from Gazi Group Chattogram as they defeated Fortune Barishal in their Bangabandhu T20 Cup match by 10 runs at Mirpur on Monday. 

After being put in to bat first by Barishal captain Mohammad Mithun, Chattogram made 151-7 in their allotted 20 overs before restricting Barishal to 141-8 in their 20. 

Chattogram are now riding high on the top of the table with three games from three matches.

Fast-bowler and one of the heroes of the U-19 World Cup-winning team Shoriful Islam was adjudged man-of-the-match for taking 3-27 in his four overs.

Shoriful bowled with pace and bowled some brilliant yorkers to take two wickets at the death, including the key wicket of Afif Hossain.

The match was in the balance when Towhid Hridoy and Afif were batting, but when Hridoy's wicket fell in the 15th over, off the bowling of Soumya Sarkar, the required run-rate spiralled out of control for Barishal.

With overs left from Shoriful and Mustafizur Rahman, Chattogram piled on further pressure and hardly bowled a poor delivery and won the match with relative ease in the end. 

Mustafiz was once again excellent with the ball at the death and seems to be regaining is old form as he finished with 3-23 after his four overs. 

In terms of batting for Barishal, captain Tamim Iqbal scored a run-a-ball 32 while Afif scored 24 from 22 but there were no other notable performers to really challenge the Chattogram total. 

The experiment of opening with Mehidy Hasan Miraz has also not worked and perhaps changes will have to be made in the next match by Tamim.

Another loss for Barishal would put them on the brink of elimination as they have one win from three games.

Earlier, it was a rare failure for the opening partnership of Liton Das and Soumya as Soumya was dismissed early by Abu Jayed Rahi for five.

But Liton was in sparkling form and scored 35 from 25 balls, the highest score in another low-scoring affair. 

After Liton's dismissal, Chattogram were struggling to score freely but some big hits from Shykat Ali ensured a competitive total was posted. 

Shykat scored 27 from just 11 balls in an innings that had three sixes and one boundary.

Chattogram next face Minister Rajshahi while Barishal take on Beximco Dhaka on Wednesday in Mirpur.