Nazmul takes Sylhet home

Nazmul Hossain made some notable contributions in some previous matches but the right-hander yesterday was integral in guiding Sylhet Royals back onto the winning track with a five-wicket victory against Rangpur Riders in a low-scoring Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match at the MA Aziz Stadium yesterday. Sylhet suffered their first defeat in the tournament against Dhaka Gladiators in the previous game, but secured their sixth win in seven matches while Rangpur, who won their previous game against Khulna Royal Bengals, suffered their fourth defeat in six games.
Nazmul, known for his big-hitting ability in the domestic circuit, hit an unbeaten 36-ball 45 with the help of five fours and a six as Sylhet Royals chased down their opponent's 122 runs with three balls to spare.
“I'm focusing on consistency because I know without that I will not be able to prolong my career,” said man-of-the-match Nazmul, who is popularly known by his nickname Milon, when asked about his consistent performance in the tournament.
Nazmul took the responsibility when players like West Indies stalwart Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain Mushfiqur Rahim fell after another West Indian, Dwayne Smith, got Sylhet off to a good start with a 22-ball 31.
Earlier, the Sylhet bowlers did a good job to restrict Rangpur for a small total. Opener Shamsur Rahman made his third half-century of this season's BPL but his effort went in vain as his team lost nine wickets for 21 runs.
Shohag Gazi and Smith picked up three wickets each to speed Rangpur's demise.
Rangpur skipper and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak said that the bowlers got assistance from the pitch. "As the weather is changing, the pitch has also started to favour the bowlers. So, low-scoring matches are not unexpected," said Razzak.