Cumilla crash Sylhet out of BPL in super-over thriller

Cumilla Warriors beat Sylhet Thunder in the ongoing Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Thursday where the cricket fans witnessed the first super-over thriller in this year’s competition, reports news agency UNB.

After the match was tied, Thunder batted first in the super over and scored only seven runs of Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Andre Fletcher and Sherfane Rutherford batted for the Thunder. Fletcher hit a four off first ball but in the next five balls, Thunder scored only three runs.

David Wiese and Soumya Sarkar came in for the Warriors. Wiese scored three runs off first two balls. Soumya fell for a duck in the third ball. He skied ball and Rony Taluker took an easy catch at deep to remove him. Wiese got the strike back and hit a four off fourth ball, and in the fifth ball he took a single to seal the game. Naveen bowled the super-over for the Thunder.

It was the fourth win of the Warriors in the event while the Thunder endured eighth defeat and they are now eliminated from the race of the playoffs as the first team.

Replying to Warriors’ 140, Thunder also posted 140 all-out in 20 overs riding on the fifty of Shohag Gazi. Gazi ended on 52 off 31 with three fours and four sixes. Apart from him, Mohammad Mithun (13), Sherfane Rutherford (15), Nazmul Hossain Milon (13), Naveen Haque (15) and Monir Hossain (16) also rached double-digit scores but failed to win the game for the Thunder.

Thunder needed 15 runs in the last over to seal the game. Naveen hit Al Amin Hossain for two consecutive fours. In the third ball, Naveen took one run before got trapped by run-out. In the last three balls, Thunder needed six runs but they failed to score that.

Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman took four wickets conceding 12 runs in four overs while Al Amin took two wickets.

Earlier, Thunder won the toss and sent Warriors bat first who amassed 140 runs for nine. Sri Lankan Upul Tharanga and South African Stian van Zyl opened the innings for the Warriors and they scored 42 runs in the first wicket stand.

Tharanga, who joined this season of BPL with this game, captained the Warriors and posted their highest score of 45.

Apart from him, van Zyl (10), Sabbir Rahman (17), David Wiese (15), and Mahidul Islam Ankon (19) reached two digit scores, but failed to post a big total.

West Indian Sherfane Rutherford and Ebadot Hossain bagged three wickets each conceding 19 and 33 runs each.