Fortune Barishal have a slim hope of moving to the knockout stage, as things stand they will have to win their last match against defending champions the Comilla Victorians at 1:30 p.m. at Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka, on Friday.
Fortune Barishal secured 12 points from 11 outings and a net run rate of 0.434. On the other hand, the Khulna Tigers, who are in fifth place, earned 10 points and a net run rate of -0.400 from the same number of outings. They will take on the Sylhet Strikers at 6:30 p.m. at the same venue on the same day.
If Khulna Tigers win the match and Fortune Barishal loses, then the equation would be the net run rate.
Both teams lost their last encounters. Fortune Barishal were beaten by Rangpur Riders by one wicket at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram, on February 19. On the other hand, Chattogram Challengers beat Khulna Tigers by 65 runs at the same venue on February 20.
Fortune Barishal skipper Tamim Iqbal said, “First of all, we have to win. If we win, our point will be 14. There will be no problem qualifying in the last four.”
“If we lose the match and the Khulna Tigers win over the Sylhet Strikers, then the point would be the same (12 points). The net run rate will be counted then,” said Tamim.
Meanwhile, Khulna Tiger captain Anamul Haque said,
“We are confident of winning the match. Both teams are in danger. So, I think the match would be very competitive.”
“We could not show a better performance against Chattogram Challengers. Batting, bowling, and fielding on every side were failures. If we expect to reach the last four, we must come back to winning ways,” added Anamul.