Azmatullah Omarzai powers Sylhet to victory

Mohammad Amir’s perfect yorker allowed Shamim Hossain to do no more than get his bat down. The gallery erupted. Sylhet’s dugout burst into celebration. Had that delivery gone for a six, the match would have gone to a Super Over. Instead, there was no run at all, and Sylhet Titans held on to win by six runs.

Even 15 minutes before the end, such a finish seemed unimaginable. Powered by a superb all-round display from Azmatullah Omarzai, Sylhet were cruising towards a comfortable victory. Dhaka needed 45 runs from the final two overs with only two wickets in hand. The match appeared all but over. Then Shamim Hossain produced something extraordinary. With a breathtaking display of T20 batting, he revived hopes of an unlikely win. In the end, though, the one-man fight was not enough.

After a two-day break following the passing of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the BPL resumed, and Sylhet Titans delighted the crowd by defeating Dhaka Capitals by six runs.

Before Shamim’s late assault, the match belonged entirely to Omarzai. The Afghan all-rounder had joined the Sylhet squad in the city only the previous night after playing in the ILT20. The very next day, he delivered a match-winning all-round performance. After smashing a destructive half-century with the bat, he followed it up with an equally effective spell with the ball to seal the win.

At the Sylhet International Stadium on Thursday, Sylhet Titans posted 173 for 5 in their 20 overs. In reply, Dhaka, who struggled for most of the chase, were eventually restricted to 167, despite Shamim’s stunning innings.

Shamim first played a blistering unbeaten 50 off just 24 balls, his maiden BPL half-century in 21 matches. He later added three wickets with the ball. Overall, he remained unbeaten on 79 from 43 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes — the best T20 innings of his career.

Sylhet captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz admitted he was slightly disappointed after losing the toss, as he would have preferred to bowl first in the humid conditions. Their batting also got off to a shaky start, managing only 34 runs for the loss of two wickets in the powerplay.

Rony Talukdar struck two boundaries off Taskin Ahmed in the second over before falling in the next, caught brilliantly by Sabbir Rahman at mid-on off Salman Mirza. In the following over, Miraz also departed, deceived by a slower ball from Taskin, with Salman taking another excellent catch after a long run.

Saim Ayub struggled at one end after opening, while the arrival of the in-form Parvez Hossain Emon helped lift the scoring rate. Emon struck Nasir Hossain for a six in the ninth over and followed it up with another maximum off Saifuddin with a sweetly timed straight bat. Saim, however, failed to hit a boundary in his first 12 overs, reaching just 22 off 31 balls before eventually scoring 29 from 34.

Emon was dismissed in the following over, caught while attempting his trademark sweep off Saif Hasan. The batter, who had scored 65 and 60 in the previous two matches at number four, made 44 from 32 balls this time.

Then came Omarzai. After settling in for four deliveries, he launched a fierce assault. He struck three boundaries in an over from Taskin Ahmed and later smashed Salman Mirza for two sixes and two fours in the penultimate over. He was given two lifelines on 15 and 27, both times dropped by Shamim Hossain. Omarzai brought up his fifty by hitting Taskin for a six off the first ball of the final over and a boundary off the last. Ethan Brooks chipped in with 13 off six balls as the pair added 51 runs from just 20 deliveries. Sylhet scored 74 runs in the final five overs.

Dhaka’s chase unravelled early in the powerplay. Mohammad Amir began with a maiden over and then bowled Afghan batter Zubaid Akbari with a beauty in his next. Usman Khan attempted a counterattack but was bowled for 21 off 15 balls by Nasum Ahmed in the final over of the powerplay.

Saif Hasan struggled badly, managing only nine off 17 balls before falling to Omarzai, who dismissed Dhaka captain Mithun for a duck in the very next delivery. Nasir Hossain followed soon after, leaving Dhaka reeling at 43 for 5.

Sabbir Hossain and Shamim Hossain tried to rebuild, but Sabbir fell for 23 off 19 balls after hitting a couple of sixes. From there on, it was all Shamim. Aggression, power and innovation — everything was on display.

After Imad Wasim and Saifuddin fell in consecutive overs from Amir and Omarzai, Dhaka needed 56 from the final three overs. Shamim was on 37 from 27 balls at that stage. What followed was a stunning onslaught. He launched Khaled Ahmed for a six to begin the charge, then smashed Omarzai for two fours and a six in the 19th over. Even with 27 required from the final over, Shamim kept the contest alive, hitting three boundaries and a reverse-scoop six off Amir. But the experienced pacer held his nerve on the final ball.

The unbroken ninth-wicket stand was worth 51 runs from 22 balls, with Shamim contributing 45 off 17 and Taskin Ahmed adding three off five.

Although Dhaka fell short, Shamim’s innings was a huge boost for Bangladesh ahead of the World Cup. It was Sylhet’s second win in three matches, while Dhaka suffered their first defeat after two games.