Fletcher thunders Sylhet to win over Khulna

Andre Fletcher blazed the first hundred of the ongoing Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) to help Sylhet Thunder emerge from four straight defeats with a massive 80-run win over Khulna Tigers at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram yesterday.

Courtesy of Fletcher’s unbeaten 57-ball 103, which featured five sixes and eleven fours, Sylhet posted a huge total of 232 for five.

Mushfiqur Rahim’s Khulna, who had been undefeated so far after making a flying start and winning their first three on the trot, were ultimately bowled out for 152.

After being sent in to bat, Sylhet lost opener Abdul Mazid in the first over, but Fletcher and his Caribbean teammate Johnson Charles produced a record 150-run partnership for the second wicket to help post the unassailable lead.

Charles played the role of the aggressor and kept the fielders busy fetching the ball from all over but his effort fell ten runs shy of a second T20 century after he was dismissed for a 38-ball 90 that saw five sixes and eleven fours.

In reply, a shaky Khulna lost Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a golden duck off the first ball before skipper Mushfiqur departed cheaply after making twelve.

Although in-form Rilee Rossouw got another half century in the BBPL with a 32-ball 52 and Robert Frylinck added 44 off 20, it never looked like being enough for Khulna to chase down the huge total.

Left-arm pacer Krishmar Santokie picked up three while Ebadot Hosssain and Monir Hossain took two wickets each for Sylhet.

The 32-year-old Fletcher complimented Johnson but the cricketer from Grenada was also ecstatic about registering his maiden hundred in the format.

“It is my first hundred [in T20] and I am happy. It was a case where I never had to take any chances because of the way Johnson was batting. We batted well in tandem and it is actually good to see that we can do our best and execute the team’s plan as a batting unit,” Fletcher said.

The right-hander, who played his last T20I for the West Indies in 2018 against Bangladesh, said he was hopeful of making a comeback to the national side and added that wanted to score more centuries in coming days.

“I would love to score as many hundreds as I can. Unfortunately, I did not [score any before]. I am grateful for it now and I hope that I can get as many more as possible. Unfortunately, I am not playing for the West Indies currently but hopefully I can continue to score as many runs as possible and get back into the team,” he added.