DHAKA, Feb 9, 2024 (BSS)-Sylhet Strikers raised the hope of playing the

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) playoffs as one of the top four teams after a
comprehensive five-wicket win over Khulna Tigers at Sher-e-Bangla National
Cricket Stadium today.

The third and second straight victory still left them at sixth position in
seven-team tournament but with six points at the kitty, Sylhet have six
points in nine matches, they still can hope to have top-four finish. To make
it materialize, they would have to keep the winning run.

Khulna which won first matches in a row, now saw the other side of the coin,
losing third straight match. With eight points from seven matches, they are
now in fourth spot.

Electing to bat first, Khulna posted 153-3, a score that Sylhet eased past in
19 overs, making 159-5.

Opener Harry Tector gave a solid start with 52 ball-61, hitting six fours and
three sixes. Ryan Burl then gave the finishing touch with 16 bal-32 not,
laced with one four and three sixes, which steered the side to the victory
win one over to spare.

Tector's knock might look little slow but Burl's finish made it up
impeccably.

Sylhet however didn't have a great start as they lost Samit Patel for 13 and
Najmul Hossain Shanto for 18. In a bid to return to form, Shanto came down to
No.3 position from opening spot but his fortune is yet to changed.

But with Irish recruit Tector steadily accumulating runs, Sylhet hardly felt
the heat even though Zakir Hasan was out for duck to leave the side 65-3 in
ninth over. Skipper Mohammad Mithun then shared 42-run with Tector before
being out for 24.

Khulna further clawed back to the game thanks to Sumon Khan who dismissed
Tector with Sylhet needing 19 runs in 12 balls still. However Burl scored the
required runs in the next over, hammering Rubel Hossain 24 runs in an over.

Mark Deyal claimed 3-19 for Khulna but that mattered little.

Earlier Khulna rode on skipper Anamul Haque Bijoy's 67 not out and Habibur
Rahman Sohan's 30 ball-43 not out. Bijoy played 58 balls for his 67, which
eventually proved to be decisive in losing the match.

Even when Sohan was hitting cleanly at other end in death overs, Bijoy failed
to give him the strike that was also instrumental in Khulna's defeat.
Khulna's top order also didn't fare well, which forced Bijoy to go slow.