Shehzad ton powers Barisal into final

A master-class in big-hitting from Ahmed Shehzad put the unlikely semi-finalists, Barisal Burners, in the final of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20. They beat the in-form Duronto Rajshahi by eight wickets, with ridiculous ease. Shehzad, the Pakistan opener, struck an unbeaten 49-ball 113, guiding the steep 185-run chase and giving the slowly-growing crowd a lot to cheer about at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Man-of-the-match Shehzad hit six sixes, including four in a row off Abdul Razzaq (who conceded 26 in that over), and a dozen boundaries in his whirlwind innings - his hundred was the fourth fastest in all Twenty20 cricket. He added 103 runs in 7.5 overs for the first wicket with Brad Hodge, who made 33 off 23 balls with three fours and two sixes. Then, Shehzad added 74 runs for the second wicket with Phil Mustard, who also made 33.

It was entirely Shehzad's day as he also survived two dropped chances on 23 (at midwicket by Sabbir Rahman) and 71 (at deep-square leg by Taijul Islam). In fact, Hodge also got a few lives in an un-Rajshahi like display out on the field. The ease with which Barisal won was demonstrated by the fact that they cruised home with 24 balls to spare.

Earlier, Rajshahi overcame a first-over burst from Yasir Arafat, to make 184 for 6. Arafat, the Pakistan seamer, removed Shahzaib Hasan, Junaid Siddique and Marlon Samuels in the very first over - Shahzaib miscued a pull and was caught at mid-on, Junaid was bowled and Samuels adjudged lbw to a ball seemingly headed down the leg side.

Rajshahi captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Zimbabwe's Sean Ervine led the revival with a 110-run fourth-wicket stand. Mushfiqur made 58 off 33 balls with six fours and three sixes, while Ervine made 82 off 61 balls (eight fours and three sixes). After Arafat backed up his early burst with the run-out of Mushfiqur at a crucial time, Razzaq put the finishing touches to the innings, slamming 32 off 19 balls.

Cloud over BPL after fixing arrest

One player has been called into a hearing by the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Monday after a man was arrested the previous night for his suspected involvement in fixing in the BPL*.

Sajid Khan, a Pakistani citizen, was approached by Chittagong Kings officials during their game against Barisal Burners at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday evening. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) security staff stopped him near the players' zone, which he was trying to access.

The BCB security chief, Col (rtd) Mesbahuddin Serniabat, told New Age that the BCB had kept an eye on Sajid since the matches held in Chittagong, and finally captured him on Sunday. "His movement was very suspicious and we followed him from Chittagong," he said, adding that they had handed him over to the Mirpur police, who were supposed to raid the man's hotel room.

It is understood that the security officers found the bank account number of one player of the Chittagong Kings and the e-mail address of another who is playing for the Dhaka Gladiators in Sajid's mobile inbox.

"He [Sajid] has been handed over to the police so the investigation is now in their hands," BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said. "The BCB has zero tolerance in this matter and i hope we get to the bottom of this."**

An official of the Chittagong franchise, requesting anonymity, has told ESPNcricinfo that Sajid had been found talking to some of their foreign players during the tournament, eliciting suspicion after sitting directly on top of the players' dugout and dressing room during the matches held in Mirpur.

The incident occurs just over two weeks after Dhaka Gladiators captain Mashrafe Mortaza reported to his franchise that he had been approached by a fellow cricketer regarding potential spot-fixing during the BPL. The BCB has formed a four-member committee to inquire into the allegation.