Bowlers give Khulna another victory; Comilla still winless

Khulna Titans moved to the top of the points table with a 13-run win over Comilla Victorians, who have now lost their first three matches in the Bangladesh Premier League. It took another collective performance from Khulna's bowlers to get over a batting collapse that gave them a modest total.

Comilla, on the other hand, would feel that they let go of a great chance having fought back to restrict Khulna to 144 for 9 in 20 overs. Their chase never found rhythm, especially after Marlon Samuels fell in the 14th over. Rashid Khan and Sohail Tanvir - who had taken 3 for 19 earlier - tried to resurrect the chase in the death overs, but weren't quite up to it.

Samuels, who made 30 off 34 balls with two fours and a six, held the ace in Comilla's chase but he was undone by a Shafiul Islam delivery that kept low and got through his defense. They were reduced to 86 for five, after Liton Das, Imrul Kayes, Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Ashar Zaidi had thrown away their wickets by needlessly playing across the line.

Earlier, Khulna had racked up 92 for 1 at end of the tenth over, but couldn't make best use of the start. Comilla's bowlers held them back, conceding just 29 runs in the last five overs.

Andre Fletcher and Hasanuzzaman, Khulna's third opening pair in four matches, gave them their highest first-wicket partnership. They found boundaries regularly as they put on 45 in 4.4 overs, before Fletcher skied Mashrafe Mortaza after making 23 with three fours and a six.

Hasanuzaman, in the meantime, struck fours through square-leg, covers, over point and even one over the keeper via a top-edge. He was Mashrafe's third victim of the evening, being flummoxed by a slower ball after top-scoring with 37 off 30 balls.

Nazmul Hossain Shanto, then got the wicket of Mahmudullah with his part-time offspin, after the Titans captain played a reverse sweep early in his innings and ended up getting caught at point. Shanto then got Alok Kapali, reducing Khulna to 117 for 5 in the 16th over. Comilla had dried up the boundaries in the last five overs at that point, until Kevon Cooper, sent in - curiously - at No. 8, struck a four and six. He hardly got strike in the last over, as he was dismissed for 11 off the last ball of the innings.

However, he came good with the ball and conceded only 16 off his four overs. He was one of the three Khulna bowlers who collectively conceded only 16 in the last three overs of the Victorians' chase.