Home ›› 09 Feb 2023 ›› Sport
A comfortable six-wicket victory over Khulna Tigers in their final league match ensured that Sylhet Strikers would finish the league stage of the ongoing ninth Bangladesh Premier League as one of the top two teams, meaning they will have two chances to reach the final.
Sylhet have accumulated 18 points via nine wins in their 12 matches and sit two points clear of second-placed Comilla Victorians. With sides having only one match in the bag and Comilla facing Rangpur Riders on the final matchday, it’s now practically and mathematically sealed that Sylhet will finish among the top two.
On Wednesday, Khulna barely put up a fight against Sylhet as they could only manage 113-8 batting first. Sylhet had brought back Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir just for this match as winning this game was crucial for them and it paid off with Imad being adjudged player of the match for his two wickets giving away just 10 runs in four overs.
In reply to Khulna’s miserly 113, Sylhet lost their star batters this season, Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto, early. But it did not cost them too much as Zakir Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim put together a 90-run stand to ensure that they did not slip.
Zakir, who was the only batter to hit a fifty in this match, said after the match that the wicket was a bit tricky compared to the other wickets that have been used throughout this BPL.
“Compared to the other wickets, it was a bit tricky. But in the end, it did not matter much as we were chasing a small target and could take some time in the middle,” the left-handed batter said.
He added, “Mushfiq bhai told me from the start that a 30-run partnership would make it easier as time goes by. So we were trying that.”
Khulna batter Andrew Balbirnie accepted that they folded with the bat and then failed to make an impact with the ball early.
“It swung a bit in the first powerplay. There was a bit of a spin but I don’t think it was too bad a wicket. We just didn’t bat well and lost three wickets in the powerplay. We just didn’t get a score on the board. To defend that total, you have to take four early wickets and we did not do that,” the Irish batter said in the post-match press conference.
Batting first, Khulna had no clue regarding what to do as only three of their batters managed to reach double figures- Mahmudul Hasan Joy (41), Yasir Ali Chowdhury (12), and Nahidul Islam (22).
They lost three wickets in the powerplay and never really recovered as Mahmudul just kept the innings together, and it was only Nahidul’s somewhat of a cameo that took them into triple figures.
In reply, Sylhet lost Towhid (5) and Najmul (3) within the third over but Zakir and Mushfiqur stood together and put the match in their pocket.
Zakir picked up his second fifty of this season off 44 balls and was sent back immediately, but by then, he had hit five fours and a six to get his team near the finish line.
Mushfiq was unfortunately run out at the other end but Ryan Burl and Gulbadin Naib then safely took them home with 15 balls to spare.
