Sylhet Royals spoiled Chittagong Kings’ chance for an early entry into the semifinals of the BPL T20 with a 35-run win yesterday. It was the second win for the struggling franchise in nine games but more importantly, the loss in the evening game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium keeps Chittagong on ten points with a game in hand.
If Chittagong could have managed to reach the 166-run target, it would have confirmed their place in the last four but it wasn’t to be. They were stopped at 130 for eight in 20 overs after the Royals had made 165-3 in 20 overs.
The top-order failure, barring Jahurul Islam’s dismissal for three in the third over, was all down to Nasir Jamshed’s inexplicable failure to communicate with Jason Roy and Brendan Taylor. The Pakistani opener was at fault in the run out of both batsmen, calling them for the second run but standing his ground on both occasions at the non-striker’s end. After the twin failure, medium-pacer Peter Trego immediately removed the dangerous Dwayne Bravo for a duck to reduce the Kings to 34 for four in the sixth over.
Jamshed had trudged to 27 off 29 balls with the help of two boundaries before becoming the fifth wicket to fall in the tenth over with the score on 58 runs.
Chittagong skipper Mahmudullah Riyad and Ziaur Rahman then added a 65-run stand for the sixth wicket, the pair threatening to lead a charge into the Sylhet total in the final quarter of the game.
Zia rattled three sixes and three boundaries in his 28-ball 40 but fell to Scott Styris in the 17th over. Forhad Reza and Riyad then got out in the eighteenth over ensuring Sylhet’s second consecutive win.
Sohail Tanvir took three wickets while Trego, Styris and Nabil Samad picked up one apiece.
Earlier, Kamran Akmal and Trego added 97 for the opening stand with both openers reaching half-centuries. Akmal hammered four sixes and five boundaries in his 37-ball 53, Trego making 68 off 53 balls with one six and six boundaries.
Styris flayed around for a 20-ball 29 with two fours and a six. For Chittagong, Bravo, Forhad and Kevon Cooper took one each.
SCORES IN BRIEF
SYLHET: 165-3 in 20 overs (Akmal 53, Trego 68, Styris 29; Bravo 1-27, Forhad 1-30, Cooper 1-30).
CHITTAGONG: 130-8 in 20 overs (Zia 40, Riyad 30; Tanvir 3-18, Trego 1-20, Nabil 1-26).
Result: Sylhet won by 35 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Peter Trego.
-With The Daily Star input
