Sylhet in final of BPL Cricket

Sports Reporter :
Sylhet Strikers reached the final of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket beating Rangpur by 19 runs in their match of the second qualifier at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the city’s Mirpur on Tuesday.
Sent into bat first, Sylhet piled up a massive total of 182 for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs and then restricted Rangpur to 163 for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs.
Sylhet Strikers made a superb start as openers Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto contributed together 65 runs in the opening stand before Shanto was trapped leg before wicket by Mahedi Hasan.
Shanto notched up his team’s highest of 40 runs. His 30-ball innings was decorated with five fours and a sixer.
After Shanto’s departure, Hridoy was caught at the mid-off by Dwayne Bravo off Hasan Mahmud when Sylhet’s score was 77 for the loss of two wickets.
Hridoy hit a run-a-ball 25 including one six and two fours.
One-down Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Zakir Hasan built a remarkable partnership scoring together 24 runs for the third wicket partnership before Zakir Hasan (16) was dismissed by Dasun Shanaka Sylhet’s total was 101 for the loss of three wickets.
After Zakir’s dismissal, Mashrafe and Ryan Burl added together 31 runs in the fourth wicket stand before Burl (15) was dismissed by Shanaka when Sylhet’s score was 132 for the loss of four wickets.
Mashrafe made 28 from 16 deliveries hitting three fours and a six.
Later, Thisara Perera and George Linde made a worthy partnership scoring together 36 runs for the seven-wicket stand before Perera was run out by Shanaka when when Sylhet’s total was 178 for the loss of seven wickets.
Hasan Mahmud and Shanaka captured a pair of wickets each instead conceding 34 and 45 runs respectively.
Mahedi Hasan and Bravo took one wicket apiece.
Rangpur had a sorrow start as opener Sam Billings (0) was trapped leg before wicket by Tanzim Hasan Sakib when Rangpur’s score was just three.
Opener Rony Talukdar and one-down Shamim Hossain mended the innings put on together 31 runs for the second wicket partnership before Shamim (14) was dismissed by Rubel Hossain when Rangpur’s total was 34 for the loss of two wickets.
Rony hit the day’s highest of 66. His 52-ball innings saw two sixes and seven fours.
After Shamim’s departure, Rony and Nicholas Pooran put up 34 runs in the third wicket stand before Pooran was dismissed by Luke Wood when Rangpur’s score was 68 for the loss of three wickets. Pooran made 30 from 14 balls with four sixes and one four.
Rony and Nurul Hasan made the most biggest partnership on the day adding together 82 runs for the fourth wicket partnership before Rony was unfortunately run out by Zakir Hasan.
Nurul Hasan scored 33 using 24 balls with four fours.
Then the tail-enders of Rangpur failed to complete their match with a happy note. Thus they paid heavily.
Wood grabbed three wickets at the cost of 34 runs, while Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Rubel Hossain claimed two wickets for 19 and 42 runs respectively. Sakib was adjudged the Man of the Match.