|| CF DESK ||

Sylhet Strikers, after losing five matches in a row, turned their luck with new captain Mohammad Mithun and a special edition jersey as they beat Durdanto Dhaka by 15 runs in their home ground Sylhet on Friday.

Sylhet set a target of 143 runs for Durdanto Dhaka in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Sylhet opened with Najmul Hossain Shanto and Shamsur Rahman, but they couldn't stay for long.

In the fifth ball of the innings, Shamsur was bowled by Shoriful Islam for a golden duck. The other opener, Shanto, failed again as he also fell victim to Shoriful after scoring three runs in 12 balls.

Following the early dismissals, Samit Patel joined Mithun, who is leading the side in the absence of Mashrafe bin Mortaza, at the crease. The duo contributed significantly, with Samit scoring 32 runs off 32 balls before being dismissed by Arafat Sunny.

After Samit Patel's departure, Ryan Burl came to the crease, but he could only manage 1 run off 4 balls before getting out to Usman Qadir. With his departure, Sylhet lost five wickets for 73 runs.

Mithun reached his fifty from 36 balls.

Mithun tried to build another partnership with Ariful Haque, but they couldn't take it far. Shoriful dismissed Ariful, who scored 21 runs off just nine balls.

Mithun, on the other hand, held one end strongly and played till the last over. He played a brilliant performance, scoring 59 runs off 46 balls, including four fours and three sixes, before getting out to Taskin Ahmed.

Shoriful from Dhaka took the most wickets, grabbing 4 wickets, while Sunny claimed 2 wickets.

In response, Mithun adeptly orchestrated his bowlers, creating a formidable challenge for Dhaka as they faced a target of 143.

Nayeem Hasan and Samit Patel proved to be formidable opponents, making it difficult for the Dhaka batters, while the pacers employed a strategic mix of off-pace deliveries to keep them at bay.

The standout performance came from left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava, who recorded figures of 4/30, outshining Shoriful's earlier bowling display in the match.

In the closing stages, Taskin Ahmed (27* off 11) displayed his power-hitting prowess, unleashing some robust strokes that brought joy to the Dhaka fans before seeing their fourth of the tournament.