Laurie Evans, ten Doeschate smash Sylhet out of playoff contention
The pair added 109 off 45 balls for the fourth wicket as Sylhet completed a chase of 190 with two overs to spare
The Report by Peter Della Penna
30-Jan-2019
Laurie Evans cuts loose • Raton Gomes/BCB
Rajshahi Kings 190 for 5 (Evans 76, ten Doeschate 42, Tanvir 2-27) Sylhet Sixers 189 for 5 (Pooran 76*, Sabbir 45, Rabbi 2-30) by five wickets
How the game played out
Buoyed by the return of Ryan ten Doeschate from injury, Rajshahi Kings hauled down a target of 190 in impressive fashion to knock out Sylhet Sixers from playoff contention. Ten Doeschate and Laurie Evans combined for a 109-run fourth-wicket stand to steer a brisk chase, completed with two overs to spare.
Sixers were given several opportunities to remain in the match, beginning when Johnson Charles missed a straightforward stumping on Afif Hossain's first ball off Mehidy Hasan in the second over. Hossain went on to make 29, while Sabbir Rahman made the most of being given not out on 0 after feathering an edge behind - Kings had already burned their review in the field - before going on to make 45.
Yet, in spite of all the bonus runs, not to mention Nicholas Pooran's imperious 76 not out off 31 balls, Sixers bowling unit produced a limp effort. Evans continued his superb form with a solid 76 off 36 balls in the Kings chase. Both he and ten Doeschate fell in the 17th over to Sohail Tanvir, but by that stage the required run rate was well under a run-a-ball. The match was sealed when Tanvir bowled consecutive wides to start what should have been the 19th over, though no legal delivery was registered; a microcosm of Sixers' day in the field.
Turning points
- Pooran hit 21 off Arafat Sunny's final over in the 14th over to begin a surge of 83 runs off the last seven for Sixers en route to a 21-ball fifty
- Kings were having a sedate Powerplay before Charles ended the sixth over with a trio of fours off Tanvir, taking the score to 51 for 1 at the end of six overs
- Evans began his acceleration in the 14th off Ebadot Hossain with three fours to bring the required run rate back under 10 for the first time since the end of the Powerplay
- Kings needed 41 off 30 balls at the last strategic timeout. Evans began the 16th with a four over extra cover to bring up a 28-ball 50, then continued the over with three fours through the off side, a two, and a six over midwicket, to bring equation under a run-a-ball
Star of the day
Evans, who seemed more relaxed with ten Doeschate back by his side in the chase, one match after the Dutch national sat out with a side strain. After a stretch of three runs in four innings to start off, Evans has now compiled 391 in his last six knocks at an average of 65.20 at BPL 2019, and is currently fourth on runs aggregate behind Pooran, Mushfiqur Rahim and Rilee Rossouw.
The big miss
Any number of them from Charles. The missed stumping was bad but he also seemed uninterested in appealing for caught-behind on the ball that Jason Roy edged. His non-appeal on the Sabbir decision also went against the Kings in the field.
Where the teams stand
Kings kept their slim playoff hopes alive by moving to 12 points to break a tie with Dhaka Dynamites for sole possession of fourth place, though Dynamites still have two games remaining while Kings have completed their league phase of matches. Sixers remain on eight points and are eliminated from playoff contention with one match remaining.
Peter Della Penna is ESPNcricinfo's USA correspondent @PeterDellaPenna