BPL 2019-20: Andre Fletcher, Johnson Charles inspire Sylhet Thunder to first win of the season
Sylhet Thunder opened their account on the points table of Bangladesh Premier League 2019-20 with a thumping victory against Khulna Tigers. Andre Fletcher (103*) and Johnson Charles (90) set up the win for Sylhet as they bulldozed Khulna by 80 runs.
Tigers' captain Mushfiqur Rahim had won the toss and invited Sylhet to bat first. Robbie Frylinck (2/37) sent Abdul Mazid (2) back to the pavilion in the first over. Charles joined Fletcher in the middle and both the Caribbean players decimated the Tigers in the next 11.4 overs. They added 150 runs for the second wicket before Shahidul Islam (1/44) got the wicket of Charles.
Fletcher continued his assault from the other end as he took the team's total past 200. He struck 11 fours and 5 sixes on the way to his century. He remained unbeaten on 103 when the innings ended. A quick cameo from Nazmul Hossain Milon helped Sylhet post a massive score of 232 runs on the board.
Chasing 233 runs off 20 overs, Khulna got off to a disastrous start as Monir Hossain (2/31) removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0) on the first ball of the innings. South African stalwarts, Rilee Rossouw (52) and Robbie Frylinck (44) tried their best to keep Khulna in the game however, the trio of Monir, Krishmar Santokie (3/37) and Ebadat Hossain (2/17) sealed the deal for Sylhet. Ultimately, the Tigers lost all their wickets for 152 runs in 18.3 overs.
Andre Fletcher won the Man of the Match award for his whirlwind knock. With this win, Sylhet Thunder have now moved to the seventh position on the standings with 2 points in 5 games. Khulna Tigers' net run rate took a beating because of this heavy defeat but they still hold the second position with 6 points in 4 games.