Host Sylhet draw first blood in BPL 2017

Home team Sylhet Sixers stunned defending champion Dhaka Dynamites as they defeated the top favourite by nine wickets with a commanding performance in the inaugural match of the BPL 2017 at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium Saturday. Winning the toss, Sylhet captain Nasir Hossain elected to field. And surprisingly, he started the innings with spin. The Sylhet skipper came on to bowl in the very first over and struck immediately as he removed Dhaka opener Mehedi Maruf. Other opener Evin Lewis (26) of the West Indies and No 3 batsman, Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara (32) then formed a 54-run partnership for the second wicket. But as soon as Lewis and Sangakkara got out within 10 overs, Dhaka lost regular wickets and eventually posted a moderate 136 for the loss of seven wickets in their stipulated 20 overs.Dhaka captain Shakib al Hasan scored 23 off 21 balls. Nasir and pacers Abul Hasan and England’s Liam Plunkett took two wickets each. Chasing an easy target, both the Sylhet openers Andre Fletcher of the West Indies and Upul Tharanga of Sri Lanka put together a brilliant partnership. These two added 125 for the opening wicket stand and took the game straightaway from Dhaka’s grip.Fletcher scored 63 off 51 balls with five boundaries and three sixes while Tharanga remained unbeaten on 69 off 48 deliveries with five boundaries and two sixers. Dhaka’s English leg-spinner Adil Rashid picked up the wicket of Fletcher. And so, Dhaka opened their title defence on a sorry note. Despite being the tournament favourite and boasting world class players like Lewis, Sangakkara, Shakib and West Indies’ Kieron Pollard, among others, the capital city outfit only managed to post a moderate total.During the post-match press conference, Dhaka’s Abu Haider admitted that the wicket was good for batting but unfortunately, their batsmen could not score big. On the other hand, it was a great start for the home team. In front of a packed crowd of 18,000, Sylhet drew first blood in BPL 5. Tharanga credited the win as a team effort and did not term this victory as an upset. Tharanga gave credit to their bowlers and fellow opener Fletcher, who made his task easier.BRIEF SCORESylhet Sixers 137/1 in 16.5 overs (Tharanga 69*, Fletcher 63*) beat Dhaka Dynamites 136/7 (Sangakkara 32, Plunkett 2/20) by nine wickets