Sylhet Strikers’ journey in the BPL has come to an end. They are the first team to be knocked out of this year’s tournament. Although they still have two matches left to play, their chances of making the playoffs are gone. On the other hand, Fortune Barishal secured their spot in the playoffs with a comfortable win.
Barishal became the second team to qualify for the playoffs after Rangpur Riders. On Sunday, Tamim Iqbal’s team advanced to the top four by eliminating Sylhet. They defeated Ariful Haque’s side by 8 wickets at Mirpur.
Batting first after winning the toss, Sylhet managed to score 116 runs in 18.1 overs. In reply, Barishal secured the win within 16 overs. Although Towhid Hridoy (6) and David Malan (9) failed to deliver, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim ensured the victory.
Tamim Iqbal scored an unbeaten 52 off 51 balls, while Mushfiqur Rahim remained unbeaten on 42 off 30 balls.
Earlier, Sylhet’s batting lineup collapsed, losing their top five batters for just 46 runs in 7.4 overs. None of them managed to reach double digits. The in-form Rony Talukdar scored only 9, and Zakir Hasan made 4 runs.
Later, Ahsan Bhatti and Zakir Ali helped Sylhet barely cross the 100-run mark. Together, they formed a 32-run partnership off 26 balls. Ahsan Bhatti scored 28 runs off 29 balls before getting out.
Zakir Ali didn’t last long either, scoring 24 runs off 19 balls before being caught by Nabi off James Fuller’s bowling. Tanzim Sakib added 13 runs off 8 balls, while captain Ariful Haque scored 12 runs.
For Barishal, Faheem Ashraf delivered a brilliant performance, taking 5 wickets for just 7 runs. Mohammad Nabi and James Fuller took two wickets each, while Rishad picked up one wicket.
