Humdinger promises final fireworks

Dhaka Gladiators and Barisal Burners go head-on in the final at 6pm on Wednesday of the first Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 that has had more than its fair share of controversy.

In front of a presumably sellout crowd, the star-studded finale of the inaugural edition is expected to keep both the players and the spectators on the edge. Channel 9 will beam the match live from Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Barisal are literally back from the dead after being told that they were out of the semifinal fray but a last-minute, controversial change of heart by the BPL governing body saw them edge out Chittagong Kings. The uncertainty about their being in the final four had little effect on the Burners. They seized the opportunity and thrashed Duronto Rajshahi by 8 wickets in an emphatic chase in the first semi-final on Tuesday.

The Burners have sizzling Ahmed Shehzad, the 19-year old Pakistani, who blazed to an unbeaten 113 off 49 balls to decimate Rajshahi. He also smashed the fastest century in the tournament, off 40 balls, in that match and has hardly let the team feel the absence of his opening partner Chris Gayle and his power-hitting due to injury and then IPL commitment.

Shehzad is the highest scorer in the competition with his previous six innings including a hundred, two half-centuries and two 40s.

Their rivals Dhaka Gladiators won the second semi-final against Khulna Royal Bengals by 9 runs. They a]too have aggressive players like Imran Nazir, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Ashraful, Shahid Afridi, and Saeed Ajmal.

They also have Elias Sunny, the left-arm spinner who currently is the joint top wicket-taker with Mohammad Sami of Rajshahi. He derailed the Royal Bengals' chase in the semi-final with a double-strike in his first over – taking out Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Smith.

Dhaka, however, have been dominant in the head-to-head clashes in the league phase, winning the first one on Feb 14 by 21 runs, despite a scorching 116 by Gayle, his second century. The second victory on Feb 25 was more convincing, by five wickets.

But the final, as they say, is altogether a different ball game.