Mismanagement of Last Over: Why Wasn't Holder Given the Ball?

Chittagong Kings needed 15 runs off 6 balls to win. At this crucial moment, instead of turning to the experienced Jason Holder, the captain of Khulna Tigers, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, placed his trust in young Mushfiq Hasan to bowl the final over. Unfortunately, Mushfik couldn’t deliver, and Khulna lost the match on the last ball. This led to immediate criticism—why was Mushfiq trusted instead of Holder?

In the post-match press conference, Captain Miraz addressed these questions. He explained, "In the previous over, Holder conceded 32 runs off 14 balls. He gave away a four and a six, and that’s where the game got away from us. If an experienced bowler is hit for sixes and fours at such a critical moment, it makes it very tough. Hasan delivered a good spell, which allowed the match to go to the last over. If I had given the ball to Mushfiq then, with 12-13 runs, it would have been easier for the opposition to chase. Mushfiq had bowled really well in his first two overs. He also got rid of their key batter (Nafe)."

Miraz further explained why he chose Hasan Mahmud to bowl the 19th over instead of the last one. "If Holder had bowled the last two balls well, we would have needed 22 runs off 12 balls. What would I have done then? I would have given the ball to the best bowler. If we needed 28-30 runs, I would have gone with Mushfiq. If the target was 15 runs, Hasan could have defended it. But if I had given Mushfiq the 19th over and he had conceded a lot of runs, then we would have needed 6-7 runs to win. I didn’t have another option except Hasan."

On why a spinner wasn’t given the final over, Miraz said, "In the last over, how can you bowl a spinner? We had Holder and Mushfiq. A spinner wouldn’t have been a logical choice, as they could have been hit for a big score. Fast bowling was the best option for us."

Miraz also shared what he discussed with Mushfiq before the last ball. "I kept asking him what he wanted to do. It’s important for the bowler to have a clear priority in such situations. He said he wanted to bowl a yorker, targeting the stumps. I told him to try to bowl a yorker on the stumps. I’m not blaming him. It was his first time in such a situation. He had been injured and had been out for a while. It was a tough situation for him. I believe Holder’s two balls were crucial. I didn’t expect much from Mushfiq, as he is relatively inexperienced. It was Holder’s two balls where we lost the game, with one four and one six."