More positives than pitfalls for Barisal

Tournament overview

"If we leave out the last ball, the rest was all good."

That was how Mahmudullah, the captain, summed up their BPL campaign. They had done most things right up to the last eight balls of the final against Comilla Victorians, but Alok Kapali changed the course of the game with four boundaries. In the end, Barisal were left wondering what could have been.

They won the four matches prior to the final - two in the qualifying stages, both being do-or-die battles against the powerful Dhaka Dynamites and the skillful Rangpur Riders. They won their first two games even though they struggled with the bat. It would be the start of an impressive run with the odd blip, which finally culminated into a winning run leading into the qualifiers.

Mahmudullah was their best performer while Kevon Cooper ended the tournament as the highest wicket-taker. Al-Amin Hossain and Mohammad Sami were up there too. Two promising local players Sabbir Rahman and Shahriar Nafees, however, came late to the party. The West Indies duo of Evin Lewis and Chris Gayle gave one-off batting shows to remember.

The likes of Rayad Emrit, Mehedi Maruf, Nadif Chowdhury and Nikhil Dutta did well when an opportunity came their way. Graham Ford, the coach, said that he was proud of the fight his team showed even if they didn't entirely dominate.

"I am extremely proud of the boys," Ford said. "They have shown tremendous character, particularly when they have been behind the game. They showed fight today but to finish on a disappointing note is quite sad. At the same time I am happy because they have achieved a lot in this tournament.

Mahmudullah's captaincy also stood out, especially when the team posted low scores. He rotated his bowlers tactfully and prised out wickets at crucial times. Mahmudullah and Ford complemented each other well, and the pair should be proud of a strong campaign by a team not regarded as the best on paper before the tournament began.

High point

Winning the second qualifier was to be their best moment in the tournament. Beating Rangpur with three balls to spare made them strong contenders in the final. Sabbir and Nafees batted superbly after Cooper's four-for helped them regain footing in the do-or-die encounter.

Low point

Getting bowled out for 58 runs against Sylhet Super Stars was their worst moment in the BPL by a distance. It was the lowest-ever score in the tournament's history. Their batting struggled throughout the tournament and this was the nadir.

Top of the class

Mahmudullah's allround performance in the final was tremendous. It was a culmination of his impressive overall showing. He was Barisal's highest run-getter with 279 runs and led the team superbly through some tough times. His fielding too stood out while his bowling remained steady as ever.

Rony Talukdar played all of Barisal's 13 matches, but could only aggregate 132 runs at an average of 11. He made scores of 1, 4, 4 and 2 in the four matches Barisal won leading up to the final, where Talukdar wasn't even given a bat.

They should look to ensure foreign recruits are available for the important matches (the presence of Gayle in the final could have been a psychological boost). Their batting line-up also needs a local middle-order batsman and they would do well to hold on to their very strong bowling line-up.