Khaled Ahmed came agonisingly close to pulling off a miraculous win for his side, but it wasnβt meant to be in the end as the Royals held their nerve to win by 14 runs.
For now, this is Pritam Dey signing off along with scorer/analyst Yogesh Kumar as we brought all the actions of this clash. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world. BYE BYEπ
Mahedi Hasan (Chattogram Royals Captain): "First of all, cricket is a funny game. Anything can happen. Things went crazy in the last 3 overs. Khaled was just outstanding with the bat.
Yeah definitely, we have played some good cricket. Luck went in my favour when I was batting but the bowlers did a fine job as there was a lot of dew.
Right now, we have a strong team. We have solid batters and solid bowlers. We are all happy with this victory."
Mahmudul Hasan Joy (Player of the Match):"Yeah, it felt really nice as I contributed to the teams victory and that has made me feel very nice.
(On those no-look sixes) Yeah, before the tournament started, I practiced some shots and tried to execute them in the middle.
I felt that when I went to the middle, the wicket was a really good batting surface. I am happy that end of the day, our team has won the match and this award is special for me."
Player of the Match: Mahmudul Hasan Joy
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Sylhet Titans Captain): "Yes definitely. If we had bowled well in the death overs, anything could've happened. But still the batting department needs to take responsibilities as we are lacking partnerships. The batting unit needs to focus on a few areas. In the 1st innings, we gave away too many runs in the powerplay.
I think Khaled played really well in the end. The top 7 batters need to take responsibilities. If we are 55/1 then we can give a good fight otherwise we cannot survive."
9:18 PM IST & 9:48 PM Local Time: Thatβs the end of the contest here in Sylhet! The game went right down to the final over, thanks to a late fightback from Khaled Ahmed. Tanvir Islam kept his nerve under pressure and successfully defended the total as the Chattogram Royals sealed a 14-run victory.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss and chose to bowl, but the Chattogram Royals made full use of the early conditions as Mohammad Naim and Adam Rossington got them off to a brisk start, finding the fence regularly inside the powerplay. Moeen Ali provided the breakthrough in the fifth over by dismissing Naim for 18 off 15 balls, yet the momentum never dipped. The Royals raced to 60/1 at the end of the powerplay, keeping the pressure firmly on the Sylhet Titans.
Mahmudul Hasan Joy then lit up the innings with a scintillating knock at number three, hammering four sixes in a rapid 44 off just 21 balls. Rossington played the anchor role to perfection but narrowly missed a half-century, falling for 49 off 38 balls. The finishing touches were applied by Hasan Nawaz (25 off 20) and skipper Mahedi Hasan, who smashed an unbeaten 33 off just 13 deliveries to propel the Royals to a commanding 198/5. The Titans were sloppy in the field and further hurt by Miraz not bowling at all, with Ruyel Miah (3/41) the standout bowler for Sylhet.
In reply, Emon departed for just 2 in the second over of the innings. Afif Hossain and Tawfique Khan then put together a vital second-wicket partnership, adding 40 runs off just 24 balls to keep the chase on track. Aamir Jamal turned the game in the sixth over by striking twice, removing Tawfique Khan for 23 off 19 deliveries and dismissing Rony Talukdar two balls later.
From there, the Titans completely lost their way, losing wickets at regular intervals and slipping to 157/9 at one stage, just one wicket away from defeat. Out of nowhere, Khaled Ahmed rose to the occasion. Walking in at number ten, he played a stunning cameo and dragged the game down to the wire. With 25 needed off the final over, Tanvir Islam was hit for a six off the first ball, but the left-arm spinner held his nerve under pressure and closed out the contest. Khaled Ahmed was dismissed for a blistering 25 off just 9 balls, as the Chattogram Royals secured a 14-run win with the Titans bowled out for 184. Aamir Jamal (4/34) was the standout performer for the Royals. Stay tuned for the Post-Match Presentation!