Comilla will have another crack at the final when they face Chattogram
Fortune Barishal 143 for 8 (Munim 44, Gayle 22, Shohidul 3-25) beat Comilla Victorians 133 for 7 (Litton 38, Moeen 22, Rana 2-15, Islam 2-16) by ten runs
Comilla required 22 off the last two overs and Rana, the left-arm quick, made it a more difficult task for them by conceding just four runs off the penultimate over while picking up the wicket of Faf du Plessis.
Big hit(s)
When Moeen Ali struck three sixes in his first 14 balls during Comilla’s pursuit of 144, they would have expected a smooth chase. However, after being hit for a huge six off the previous ball, Dwayne Bravo came back and removed Moeen for 22 off 15 balls.
Shafiqul Islam had earlier taken two wickets, triggering a top-order collapse while Rana took 2 for 15 in his three overs. He fronted up to bowl the 11th, 17th, and 19th overs for Barishal. Mujeeb helped seal victory with his 2 for 33. Earlier, Barishal had got a rollicking start from Munim Shahriar, who struck four sixes – all through the arc midwicket and long-on – and two fours through the covers. He set the tone for Barishal by taking 16 runs from the first over of the match, bowled by Nahidul Islam. His slap-pull, against Mustafizur Rahman, though was Shahriar’s best shot of the day.
Chris Gayle was more sedate at the other end, but Barishal still raced to 57 for 0 in the powerplay.
Full report to follow…
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84