Khulna outplay Sylhet by 8 wickets in BPL
Sports Reporter, Dhaka
Mehidy Hasan Mirajs career best 87 powered Khulna Tigers to romp to an eight-wicket win over bottom-placed Sylhet Thunder in the low-scoring match of the third leg of the ongoing Akash-DTH Bangabandhu-Bangladesh Premier League at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. Khulna remained third at the points-table despite winning the match which is their fifth win in seven-match road string, where they lost only to Thunder by 80 runs and Rajshahi Royals by seven wickets in Chattogram leg.
Tigers then thrashed Rangpur Rangers to bounce back in winning ways. This will be the second successive win for them. Chasing a paltry 158-run target, Mehidy Hasan Miraj and Nazmul Hossain Shanto provided a flying start to Khulna. They put on 115 that was the highest opening partnership in this BPL. They broke Tamim Iqbal-Anamul Haque Bijoys previous record of 85 runs what they did against Thunder in Dhaka on December 14.
Shanto received hamstring injury when he was on 40 while he was running to complete a single run. Just one run later, he was caught by Nayeem Hassan off Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury after scoring for 41 off 31 with five boundaries. Miraj partnered Rilee Rossouw to shore up the ship but Sherfane Rutherford sent Rossouw back for 15. The South African calmed batsman bashed a six and as many four in his 11-ball knock.
Later he slotted the team home with eight scalps in hand and 13 balls to spare. Mushfiqur Rahim was at stumps on three not out. Miraj, who notched up his half century from just 31 balls, plundered an unbeaten 87 that surpassed his previous best of 51. He clouted three sixes and nine fours in his 62-ball knock and was adjudged player of the match for his jaw-dropping batting show.
Previously, Sylhet Thunder rode on Rubel Mias 39 gathered a paltry 157 for 4 against Khulna Tigers. Thunder tasted their first win of 80 runs against Khulna after losing four successive outings that sent them at the bottom of the BPL standings. In a bid to register their second triumph, Sylhet Thunder picked Rubel Mia, Nayeem Hasan and Delwar Hossain dropping Abdul Mazid, Nazmul Hossain Milon and Sohag Gazi from their playing XI against Khulna Tigers, who fielded, of course, their unchanged XI.
Thunder made a good start after being asked by Tigers captain Mushfiqur Rahim to bat first on Mirpurs newly-developed batting track which was praised by all the fronts irrespective of players, coaches and BPL team officers.
Sylhet put on 43 in powerplay without any loss but they mislaid their first wicket in the last ball of the ninth over, where Robbie Frylincks delivery went to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim touching Andre Fletchers bat.
On the spur of the moment, Mushfiq made an emphatic appeal and later sought a review not to get any response from umpires, who finally put up his finger after getting the decisive decision from third umpire.
Fletcher, who slammed hundred as the first batsman in this BPL against Khulna Tigers in their first meet in Chattogram, chipped in with 37. He cracked two sixes and four fours in his 24-ball knock. Tigers South African handy medium pacer then removed Johnson Charles before making any threatening innings after Fletcher. Before being caught by Nazmul Hossain Apu off Robbie, Charles made 12-ball 17 with two over-boundaries.
Young pacer Shohidul Islam jerked Thunders middle-order with his double strikes that slipped them further from 101-2 to 104-4. After the dismissal of Johnson Charles, they lost another two wickets-well-set Rubel Mia and Mohammad Mithun, who lashed for two-ball duck.
Rubel smashed team-high 39 on his BPL debut. He clobbered two boundaries and a maximum in his 44-ball innings.
Finally an invaluable 53-run between Sherfane Rutherford and captain Mosaddek Hossain Saikat for the unbeaten fifth-wicket that helped them set a paltry 158 for Khulna Tigers.
Rutherford remained unbeaten on 26 off 20, hitting two sixes, while Saikat cracked three fours in his unbeaten 18-ball 23.
Pacers Shohidul Islam and Robbie Frylinck evenly shared four spoils between them. But Shohidul was economical more than Frylinck in their respective four-over quota. The former gave away 26 runs to grab his brace, while the latter conceded 58 runs to claim his stakes.
