Sylhet Sixers 165 for 5 (Fletcher 66, Viljoen 4-29) beat Chittagong Vikings (Mushfiqur 48, Ebadot 4-17) 136 by 29 runs
How the game played out
Sylhet Sixers showed the firepower with bat and ball that was inconsistent through various points of the season to upend the Chittagong Vikings by 29 runs. Vikings paid dearly for a poor display in the field in which seven chances were missed whereas Sixers' collective effort was top-drawer, including a stunning one-handed effort by Jason Roy at the midwicket boundary to put his name in the hat for the catch of the tournament.
Andre Fletcher and Sabbir Rahman were two of the Sixers batsmen to capitalise on the missed opportunities. The two forged a 65-run third-wicket stand that built a solid platform after Sixers were sent in. Mohammad Nawaz provided a sharp burst after Sabbir's dismissal, making 34 off 19 balls before both he and Fletcher were dismissed off successive balls by Hardus Viljoen. The South Africa seamer made an immediate impact in his first match of the season for Vikings taking four wickets, but the rest of the bowling unit was let down by a ragged catching effort.
Sparked by Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed, Sixers claimed two wickets in the first seven balls of the chase. Vikings captain Mushfiqur Rahim did his best to lead a recovery after entering in the second over but ran himself out on a risky call with the required rate nearing 12 an over. Soon after, Ebadot and Wayne Parnell wiped out the tail.
Turning points
Andre Fletcher was on 46 in the Sixers innings at 92 for 2 in the 12th over when he flicked a full toss from Cameron Delport to deep midwicket but the chance went straight through Nayeem Hasan's hands
Yasir Ali was on 27 in the Vikings chase when he pulled a half-tracker from Alok Kapali that looked certain for a six, but Roy sprinted 20 yards to his left and propelled himself with a full-extension dive to pluck it with his left hand
Dasun Shanaka tried to tip and run a quick single in the 16th off Parnell, but Jaker Ali reacted quickly from behind the stumps to sprint forward, scoop and flick from three yards to run-out Mushfiqur for 48
Star of the day
Ebadot had taken just one wicket in three T20s since making his debut for Sixers one week earlier, but he took four in a disciplined spell against Vikings. It began with Cameron Delport beaten for pace attempting to pull in the second over to sky a catch to mid-on. He then got Mosaddek Hossain skying a drive to mid-off in the 12th before two more in the 18th - Dasun Shanaka top-edging a pull to fine leg and then Hardus Viljoen bowled after missing a slog.
The big miss
There were any number of them to choose from Vikings' horrendous day in the field, but a comical double-whammy occurred in the 17th over, off the bowling of Hardus Viljoen. Mohammad Nawaz was on 14 when he drove in the air to Nayeem Hasan at mid-off, who spilled the chance lunging forward. He still had the presence of mind to scoop the ball and fire an accurate one-bounce throw to Viljoen over the stumps at the non-striker's end with Fletcher, on 58, five yards out of his crease. But Viljoen clumsily fumbled the relay to ensure both batsmen were reprieved on the same ball.
Where the teams stand
Vikings lost the opportunity to push for a place in the first qualifier, finishing on 14 points. Though they are level with Rangpur Riders, the net run-rate advantage is heavily in Riders favour, meaning Vikings will face either Rajshahi Kings or Dhaka Dynamites in the first eliminator. Sixers end the season two points out of the playoffs on ten.
