Joy, Habibur shine as Khulna end BPL season with a win

Habibur Rahman Sohan's blistering cameo following an unbeaten fifty from Mahmudul Hasan Joy saw Khulna Tigers end their Bangladesh Premier League campaign with a six-wicket win over Fortune Barishal at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Friday. 

Chasing a challenging 170-run target, Habibur, playing only his third competitive match, emerged as an unlikely hero for Khulna, who were already eliminated from the tournament. The youngster scored an unbeaten nine-ball 30, laced with two boundaries and three maximums, to see Khulna over the line with three balls to spare. 

It seemed like the game was slipping away from Khulna at one point before Habibur and Joy stitched together a rapid 41-run stand off the final 16 deliveries to help Khulna end their six-match losing streak. Joy remained unbeaten for 64 off 43 deliveries. 

Khulna lost opener Sabbir Rahman early, but skipper Shai Hope and opener Andy Balbirnie managed to consolidate with a 35-run stand. Joy then stuck around to keep Khulna in the game with meaningful partnerships with Balbirnie and Yasir Ali before Habibur put the finishing touches. 

Earlier, Dwaine Pretorius scored a 29-ball 48 while Shakib Al Hasan, Anamul Haque and Ibrahim Zadran scored 20-odd runs to help Barishal post a challenging 169 for eight.