Sports Reporter :
Sylhet Super Stars kept their semifinals hope alive in the 3rd Bangladesh Premier League when they defeated Dhaka Dynamites by six wickets in their Twenty20 cricket match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday.
Sylhet Super Stars gained six points from nine matches while Dhaka Dynamites collected eight points from as many matches.
Sent into bat first, Dhaka Dynamites piled up a fighting total of 157 for the loss of five wickets in the allotted 20 overs.
In reply, Sylhet Super Stars cruised into the victory target making 162 for the loss of four wickets when they had just one ball to spare.
Sylhet Super Stars made a modest start as openers Junaid Siddique and Joshua Cobb put on together 36 runs before Cobb (15) was run out by Kumar Sangakkara.
Then Junaid Siddique and Ravi Bopara salvaged their team contributing together 86 runs for the second wicket stand before Junaid Siddique was caught by Malcolm Waller from a delivery of Yasir Shah when Sylhet’s score was 122 for the loss of two wickets.
Ravi Bopara hit a terrific 55. He hit four sixes and four fours in his 40-ball innings before he was caught at the long-off by Malcolm Waller off Farhad Reza when Sylhet’s score was 139 for the loss of three wickets. Ravi Bopara was adjudged the Man of the Match for his superb performance.
Junaid Siddique hit a polished 51 from 44 balls including three sixes and one four.
Second-down Sohail Tanvir was cleanly bowled out by Farhad Reza when Sylhet’s score was 149 for the loss of four wickets.
Tanvir hit 19 off 11 balls featuring three fours.
Then Shahid Afridi powered his team to anchor in the harbour hitting a six in the fifth ball of the Farhad Reza’s fourth over. Afridi remained unbeaten with 15. He hit two sixes in his seven-ball innings.
Farhad Reza got two wickets conceding 42 runs.
Dhaka Dynamites faced an early jolt losing their first three wickets for 55 runs.
Then Kumar Sangakkara and Nasir Hossain rescued their team from early debacle contributing together 69 runs for the fourth wicket partnership before Nasir Hossain was caught at the deep mid-wicket by Joshua Cobb off Rubel Hossain when Dhaka’s score was 124 for the loss of four wickets.
In-form Kumar Sangakkara notched up a sparkle 48. He hit seven fours in his 35-ball innings before he was cleanly bowled out by Mohammad Shahid when Dhaka’s total was 144 for the loss of five wickets.
Nasir Hossain hit a polished 31. His 23-ball knock was studded with two sixes and two fours.
Earlier, opener Farhad Reza made a worthy 31. He hit four fours and a sixer in his 28-ball innings before he was caught behind by wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim from a delivery of Ravi Bopara when Dhaka’s score was 55 for the loss of three wickets.
Yasir Shah (8), the other opener of Dhaka was caught by Mohammad Shahid off Abdur Razzak when Dhaka’s total was 28 for the loss of one wicket.
One-dawn Mohammad Hafeez (8) was caught at the deep mid-wicket by Mominul Haque from a delivery of Abdur Razzak when Dhaka’s score 48 for the loss of two wickets.
Mosaddek Hossain and Malcolm Waller remained unbeaten with 13 runs each.
Abdur Razzak was the most successful bowler of Sylhet Super Stars with two wickets for nine runs.
