Barisal Bulls were skittled out for 58 runs – lowest ever Bangladesh Premier League total – after Shahid Afridi-led Sylhet Super Stars won the toss and elected to bowl first at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday. Later, Sylhet virtually jogged to their target losing just one wicket and with more than eight overs to spare.
“Mushfiq[ur Rahim] was not comfortable [to lead] and he told the team owner [Azizul Islam],” said Afridi during the toss as his takeover had an immediate effect on the team that had won just once in six attempts prior to yesterday’s clash.
Sylhet’s nine-wicket win has now opened a slim door of qualification for the top four, but that will largely depend on other results. From their remaining three matches, Sylhet must win at least two and hope Chittagong Vikings and Dhaka Dynamites do not win more than once in the third and final phase of the cash-rich tournament. Meanwhile, Sylhet’s progress will also be hugely dependent on the net run-rate, given the aforementioned results go in their favour.
Coming back to the game, West Indian Evin Lewis realised his dream of opening the innings alongside his childhood hero and compatriot Chris Gayle, but the destructive pair hardly troubled the Sylhet bowlers. After scoring 12 from 15 balls, including two boundaries, Lewis was the first to depart with the scorecard reading 15 in three overs.
Hailing from Narayanganj, paceman Mohammad Shahid joined the party in the next over just after Gayle gave the impression of loosening up. Following a six over covers, Gayle held out at long-on for a run-a-ball eight.
From there onwards, Rubel Hossain and Ravi Bopara’s bowling partnership forced the Bulls to collapse like a house of cards. Rubel dismissed Rony Talukdar and Mahmudullah cheaply before Bopara, who gave away just two runs in his first two overs, removed Sabbir Rahman, Seekkuge Prasanna and Mehedi Maruf in his third over to restrict the side to an incredible 37 for seven in 10 overs.
Afridi took up the ball and caused further damage before Shahid wrapped up Barisal’s innings by having Mohammad Sami, top scorer with 16 runs, caught at mid-on. This was Barisal’s second below-hundred score this season, 89 being the other against Comilla Victorians.
Afridi finished with figures of 2/5 while Rubel and Bopara bagged 2/6 and 3/12 respectively.
Although Dilshan Muunaweera was caught for nought at third-man attempting an upper cut off the fierce Sami, Sylhet never panicked in pursuit of the paltry target as Junaed Siddique (34) and Nurul Hasan (22) adopted a cautious approach to knock off the runs in 11.2 overs.