Mehedi Maruf's 75* helps Dhaka trump 149 chase

Mehedi Maruf's unbeaten 75 lifted Dhaka Dynamites to an eight-wicket win over Barisal Bulls, helping them chase down 149 with four overs to spare. He dominated an 88-run opening stand with Kumar Sangakkara and saw the job through, with five fours and as many sixes in his 45-ball knock.

Maruf, whose reputation has been growing steadily in domestic cricket in the last few seasons, started the chase with two sixes off Al-Amin Hossain, the first swivel-pulled over deep square leg and the next a flick over midwicket. He smashed Dilshan Munaweera over midwicket for his third six, and peppered boundaries through point and cover. He reached 50 off just 30 balls, before landing Taijul Islam and Monir Hossain beyond the long-on boundary for his fourth and fifth six.

Sangakkara supported his younger partner with a 24-ball 30 before falling to a Taijul in the ninth over, off a delivery that kept very low. But by then Dhaka needed 61 runs to win. Shakib made 20, before Mosaddek Hossain chipped in with an unbeaten 10 off 5, wrapping up the victory with a four steered past backward point.

Earlier, Barisal started disastrously with the bat when Shamsur Rahman was caught at slip, though replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball had carried to Maruf. Nasir Hossain then took a brilliant catch at point to remove Munaweera before Dawid Malan's dismissal in the eighth over made it 44 for 3.

Shahriar Nafees and Mushfiqur Rahim rescued Barisal from that point through a fourth wicket stand of 82 off 51. Nafees made most of the running with his fourth T20 fifty, the first since February 2013. He struck seven fours and two big sixes in his 34-ball 55, many of them crisp hits past point, midwicket and square leg.

Barisal however couldn't accelerate after Nafees' dismissal, adding just 22 runs in the last 3.4 overs, despite Mushfiqur reaching his fifty off 36 balls. Mohammad Shahid was Dhaka's standout bowler, with 3 for 21.