Mithun magic gives Dhaka dominant win over Barishal

Mohammad Mithun's blistering fifty and Soumya Sarkar's quickfire 37-run innings helped Dhaka seal a dominant victory over Fortune Barishal on Tuesday.

Chasing 157 seemed like a walk in the park for Dhaka thanks to Soumya and Mithun's 74-run partnership in just 7.4 overs. Both openers had a go at Barishal bowlers right from the beginning. 

Soumya was the first man to be dismissed, again cheaply, after scoring 37 off 22 balls. The southpaw hit four boundaries and two maximums in his innings. Both batters were dominant in the opening partnership but Soumya had a better strike rate than Mithun.

Mithun kept on going and reached his fifty. He eventually bagged 54 off 36 deliveries hitting six fours and three maximums. He played shots all over the ground with the square drive being his most productive shot. 

Five of seven Dhaka batters scored more than 15 runs, and only Ariful Haque was dismissed for a single-digit score. 

Abdullah Al Mamun and Nasir Hossain bagged 26 and 20 respectively. Dhaka's skipper remained unbeaten and guided his team home. 

For Barishal, skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Sunzamul Islam both bagged a brace. Shakib had a decent outing giving away only 18 runs for his two wickets even though his late strikes didn't couldn't turn Barishal's fortune. Sunzamul was really expensive, giving away 35 runs from 3.5 overs. 

Batting first, Anamul Haque Bijoy and Saif Hassan gave Barishal a decent start. Saif was sluggish though, scoring 15 off 19 balls before departing. 

Barishal lost a few quick wickets as Anamul saw Shakib, Ibrahim Zadar and Iftikhar Ahmed getting out from the other end. He too was dismissed in the 14th over after scoring 42 off 35 balls hitting five boundaries and one maximum. 

Mahmudullah Riyad played a useful 39-run knock of 27 balls to put his team in a decent position. He hit four boundaries and two maximums. 

Karim Janat's late flourish took Barishal beyond 150 in the end. 

Dhaka's Amir Hamza bagged a brace while each of their five other bowlers picked up a wicket.

Mithun was adjudged the player of the match for his match-winning knock. He was looking for an opportunity up in the order and he made absolutely the best use of it. 

"I was looking for a big score, but I batted lower down the order, thankful to the support staff for giving me a chance at the top of the order.  We haven't got the results, but we'll give our best in the next couple of games," Mithun said at the post-match presentation.

The win won't help Dhaka much to reach the playoffs though. They are currently fifth in the table with 6 points and have two more matches to go. They will have to win both their matches and hope Rangpur and Comilla both lose all their remaining four matches. 

Barishal, on the other hand, are somewhat more confident sitting second on the table with 12 points from nine matches. They still have to win a match to ensure their place in the playoffs.