Dynamites claim top spot

Barisal Bulls were one of the first teams to gain momentum in this season's Bangladesh Premier League. They won three out of their first four games of the competition and with both Shahriar Nafees and Mushfiqur Rahim in good touch, their team looked impeccable.

However, then came the disappointing Chittagong leg; a phase in which they lost all their three matches. Unfortunately for Mushfiqur and Co they have not been able to shrug off the poor patch as yet.

That they are struggling is something that was obvious in Mirpur yesterday, when they lost to the Dhaka Dynamites by four wickets. The defeat ensured that Barisal remain in sixth place. On the other hand, it helped their opponents, Dhaka, overtake Khulna Titans and claim the top spot.

Batting first, Barisal's top three collapsed for just 37. The young Abu Jayed dismissed Nafees while Dilshan Munaweera and Jeevan Mendis were run out. Mushfiqur began stitching together a partnership with Nadif Chowdhury and the duo put on 47 runs in the next 6.5 overs. It seemed like a revival, but when Shakib Al Hasan bowled Mushfiqur for a 30-ball 36 in the 14th over, the game changed. Nadif was dismissed in the next over and Enamul Haque followed soon after. In 17 overs, the Bulls had collapsed to 98 for six. Thankfully for them, Rumman Raees came in towards the end and smashed a 13-ball 25 with one six and two fours to help them post 132 for six.

Raees's knock gave them a fighting chance and the Bulls began well with Taijul Islam dismissing Mehedi Maruf in the first over. However, a 53-run stand ensued between Kumar Sangakkara and Shakib Al Hasan for the second wicket to help steady the ship.

Just when it seemed as though Dhaka would amble to an easy win, they lost both Sangakkara and Shakib in consecutive overs. By over number 10 Dhaka were precariously placed at 60 for three.

Nasir Hossain and Mosaddek Hossain, two players who have battled against each other for a lower order position in the national team, joined hands and started the revival of Dhaka's chase.

They initially just knocked the ball around for three overs. However, with 58 runs required off 42 balls, the players decided to unleash themselves. They dismissed the Sri Lankan duo of Mendis and Thisara Perera for boundaries in overs 14 and 15 and got the cogwheels turning.

An over later Monir Hossain was smacked for a six by Nasir, before the slow left-armer trapped him in front with the next ball.

With 12 runs required off 12 balls, Dhaka got a minor jolt when they lost Mosaddek and Seekkuge Prasanna in consecutive deliveries of the 19th over. However, with Prasanna having hit a four earlier in that over, the damage was not irreparable with the Dynamites requiring just four runs in the last over.

Dwayne Bravo took a couple in the first ball and then dispatched Perera for a four in the second to eventually guide home the Dynamites with four balls and five wickets remaining.