Rilee Rossouw's top edge swirled high in the air. Kieron Pollard ran back from midwicket to complete his second high catch in the space of three balls. In the last over of the Rangpur Riders innings, Pollard was watchful under another skier, this time off Ravi Bopara's bat at the deep midwicket fence. He took the catch comfortably, sparing Rubel Hossain more punishment in the final three balls of the innings.
When the Dhaka Dynamites slipped to 97 for 5 in the eleventh over, Shakib Al Hasan, Pollard and Sunil Narine were all back in the dugout. For any other T20 side, given the pressure of a knockout match, it would have been an extremely nervy last nine overs to get 46 more runs. Not for the Dynamites. They had Andre Russell in their line-up too.
Five sixes in an unbeaten 19-ball 40 sealed the win. The BPL's second qualifier was won with 20 balls to spare. The Dynamites' acquisition of Shakib, Russell, Pollard and Narine has to be one of the smartest investments in BPL history, and it has paid due dividends.
In a virtual semi-final, all four stood up at different points: Russell hit five sixes, to go with his two wickets, Shakib took a wicket and played a cameo, Narine was miserly with the ball, and Pollard ensured the effort of the bowlers was not in vain, as he took all the important catches. So, you wonder, Is there a greater collection of allrounders in the world?
Pollard, the world's most capped T20 cricketer and the third highest all-time run-scorer, has won 12 trophies including four IPLs, a Champions League with Mumbai Indians, as well as a BPL and a CPL title.
Russell's seven trophies include two World T20 titles, two CPLs, a BBL, a PSL and also a BPL title. In 2016 alone, he was part of five trophy-winning sides. Narine has won eight trophies that include the World T20 title, two IPLs and two CPLs. Shakib has been part of a champion side on six occasions, including twice in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders and twice in the BPL for the two Dhaka franchises, Gladiators and Dynamites.
The Dynamites have succeeded in making the four star personalities work as a cohesive unit, with enough support from the rest of the team. But it's easy to see that they have stood out, when you consider the fact that they have collectively scored more than half of the side's runs and taken more wickets than the rest of the squad put together. Of course, you'd expect nothing less.
Their might will be put to test one last time against Comilla Victorians in the final, another side brimming with all-round talent - the veteran Shahid Afridi and the in-form Thisara Perera, in particular, the danger men. There's unlikely to be any respite at the top either, with Tamim Iqbal and Evin Lewis in the line-up.
However, with momentum behind the Dynamites, another trophy for their four talismans, playing together, is within sniffing distance.