Sylhet Strikers strike three in a row, beat Comilla by five wickets
Towhid Hridoy, BCB
|| CF DESK ||
Sakib suspended for two DPL matches
31 Jan 25
Sylhet Strikers secured their third straight victory in the ninth edition of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), defeating defending Champions Comilla Victorians by 5 wickets at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.
Following his 34 ball-55 that propelled Sylhet to a six-wicket win over Barishal the day before, Hridoy smashed a 37 ball-56 with three fours and four sixes as Sylhet easily overhauled Comilla's 149-6, making 150-5 with 14 balls to spare.
Hridoy, on the other hand, did not have to bat in Sylhet's eight-wicket victory over Chattogram in the first game.
After a 34-run defeat to Rangpur Riders in the first game, the reigning champions Comilla looked to tighten the grip, dismissing Sylhet's Pakistan recruit Haris for 6. Haris replaced Netherland's Colin Ackerman who was dismissed in single digit figure in the first two matches of Sylhet.
If Comilla had any hope after the dismissal, Hridoy's counterattack quickly dashed it. He was harsh on the bowlers, allowing the team to maintain a healthy asking rate, which proved crucial as Sylhet lost some quick wickets after his dismissal.
Khushdil Shah, Comilla's Pakistan recruit, struck twice, first dismissing Najmul Hossain Shanto after he made 19 off 21 with two fours and one six. Then he had Hridoy stumped by Liton Das, briefly bringing the team back into the game.
However, young Zakir Hasan, who impressed in the previous match, demonstrated his big hitting prowess once more, clobbering a 20 off 10 with one four and two sixes.
Afghan recruit Mohammad Nabi dealt a double blow in the space of nine balls, removing Zakir and Thisara Perera (8) as Sylhet were just 12 runs away from the wicket with plenty of balls being left.
Mushfiqur Rahim (28*) and Akbar Ali (6*) sailed the side home with the latter signing off the game with a boundary.
Jaker Ali Anik, another youngster, was instrumental in Comilla's modest total after they were asked to bat first. Jaker smashed an unbeaten 57 off 43 balls with two fours and three sixes to help Comilla end their low-scoring streak in the first match of the day in this season's BPL. Previously, the batting first team totals in the BPL's first two days were 89 and 113.
Comilla's star batter Liton Das failed to click again, being out on 8, while another star England's Dawid Malan made a slow start but couldn't improve, being removed for 37 off 39.
Jaker provided the team with much-needed pace, but he received little help from the other end.
Sylhet's Thisara Perera and Mohammad Amir each took two wickets, while captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Imad Wasim each took one.
