Mahmudullah does it again

The phrase 'lightning never strikes the same place twice' is one that researchers have seen nature defy quite often. Khulna Titans skipper Mahmudullah Riyad joined that bandwagon yesterday when he helped the Titans defend six runs in the last over against two set Chittagong Vikings batsmen.

For the second time in three days Riyad revived Khulna in the last over and brought them back from the dead. The last time he did something similar was on November 9 when he scalped the last three Rajshahi Kings wickets and defended seven runs.

Yesterday's task against the Vikings was a lot more difficult. Having been set a rather easy target of 128, the Vikings struggled during the chase. They lost Tamim Iqbal early in the third over and failed to move along. Their top five batsmen were sent back to the pavilion by over number 12 by pacers Shafiul Islam and Kevon Cooper.

After 12 overs, Chittagong were struggling at 54 for 5. However a 45-run stand, smashed off just 4.1 overs, between Mohammad Nabi and Chaturanga De Silva brought them back into the game. In fact, it not only brought them back, but took them to the brink of victory.

Nabi smashed two sixes and two fours for his 20-ball 38 while De Silva hit one six and one four during his 13-ball 19. With just six more required of six balls and both these batsmen at the crease no one would have given Mahmudullah a chance.

However, the Khulna Titans skipper defied the odds yet again. He first let Nabi hit the ball down the ground and take a single. He bowled a wide long hop on the second, but fortunately De Silva edged that to the keeper, Nicholas Pooran. Both the keeper and the bowler were lucky. For starters the bad ball had gotten an edge and secondly that edge ricocheted off the keeper's gloves and then his leg before he finally held it.

Veteran Abdur Razzak arrived at the crease next. The game is over, many thought, it is going to end with a boundary, Razzak-style.

However, the left-hander missed a straighter one from Mahmudullah and, although it seemed to be hitting the stumps, the umpire believed that he was hit outside off.

Regardless of the decision, Mahmudullah had bowled a dot ball and the pressure was slowly building.

With five required off three, Razzak moved his leg aside and attempted to hit one for a six, but the mighty heave went straight up in the air and landed into the safe hands of the long off fielder.

With the equation now at five off two with Nabi on strike, Chittagong were still favoured to win this game. However, the odds were torn apart once Nabi failed to pull a short, flat, quick delivery. The Afghani, who had dispatched much more difficult deliveries moments before, was shell shocked to have missed that.

And that was it. With five required off one, all Mahmudullah needed to do was hold his nerve and the result was theirs. And that is exactly what happened. Mahmudullah bowled a similarly flat delivery, which was holed to mid-wicket. Khulna had won their second game by four runs.

Shafiul Islam, who recorded his best T20 figures of 4 for 28, was one of the key reasons why the game went down the wire in the first place.

Earlier, crucial twenties from Alok Kapali, Nicholas Pooran and Ariful Haque helped Khulna recover from 52 for 4 in 8.4 overs to post 127.  Number seven Ariful, who smacked two sixes and a four during his 16-ball 25, was the key aggressor.