Sylhet Strikers defeated Fortune Barishal by six wickets in their Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) clash at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium Saturday.
Chasing 195, Towhid Hridoy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Zakir Hasan, and Mushfiqur Rahim batted well to seal the Strikers’ second win in the event.
Choosing to bat first, Barishal posted 194 – the highest first-innings total in this BPL so far. Shakib Al Hasan top scored 67 off 32 balls with seven fours and four sixes for them. Chaturanga de Silva was the second-highest run getter for Barishal with 36 off 25 balls.
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For Sylhet, captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza bagged three wickets for 48 runs in four overs.
In reply, Sylhet’s opener Colin Ackermann got run out after scoring a single run. However, the second-wicket partnership between Shanto and Hridoy resulted in a 101-run stand – the first 100-run partnership of this BPL. Shanto was eventually dismissed for 48 off 40 balls, hitting five fours and one six.
After Shanto’s departure, Zakir came to the crease and blasted 43 runs off just 18 balls, with four fours and three sixes. His blistering knock was one of the turning points of the match. Also, Mushfiqur scored 23 runs off 11 balls.
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In the end, Thisara Perera’s 20 off nine balls sealed the match for his team by six wickets, with an over to spare.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed, and Kamrul Islam Rabbi were unable to defend a big total for Barishal, conceding more than 11 runs per over.
Source: United News of Bangladesh