ESPNcricinfo staff
February 24, 2012
Sylhet Royals 125 for 1 (Akmal 72*) beat Duronto Rajshahi 124 for 9 (Shahzaib 54*, Tanvir 4-13, Hasan 3-30) by nine wickets
After seven consecutive defeats, the Sylhet Royals finally opened their account in the BPL, albeit a bit late in the day. They turned in a fine all-round performance, beating Duronto Rajshahi by nine wickets thanks to the Pakistan duo of Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal, who starred with ball and bat respectively.
The Rajshahi batsmen looked out of sorts, with the exception of Shahzaib Hasan who scored 54. Tanvir, who dismissed Junaid Siddique, playing onto his stumps, later nipped out two wickets in two balls to leave Rajshahi struggling to mount a competitive score. He could have had a five-wicket haul, had it not been for Alok Kapali's dropped catch at long-on. Tanvir was supported by the right-arm seamer Abul Hasan, who took 3 for 30.
The Sylhet openers, Akmal and Peter Trego, put the chase on course with a stand of 52. Akmal hit three sixes in his unbeaten 72, off 51 balls and ensured Sylhet crossed the finish line with more than three overs to spare.
