Sports Desk:

As you walk past the President’s Box at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium and head toward the media center, you’ll spot a few people painting “4s” and “6s” on black cards for the stadium’s analog scorecard. If you watched the players’ practice sessions on the outer field, you’d witness a flurry of sixes and fours being struck all around, accompanied by frequent shouts of “Watch it! Watch it!” Journalists and players had to stay alert as a white Kookaburra flew overhead in Sylhet’s skies. On Sunday morning, that was the scene at the Sylhet stadium.
Meanwhile, at Lakkatura, just outside the stadium, ticket seekers were eagerly waiting for the action to begin at the Sylhet phase of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Sylhet will host 12 matches over the next seven days.
On Monday, the home team Sylhet Strikers will face the table-topper Rangpur Riders in the day match, followed by a clash between Durbar Rajshahi and another heavyweight Fortune Barishal.
Rajshahi are seeking revenge after their initial encounter with Barishal, where they lost by 4 wickets despite posting a strong total of 197 for 3. That high-scoring match ignited the excitement in the BPL, especially at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium during the tournament’s opening day. The Dhaka leg of the tournament saw an average first innings score of 179.5 across eight matches.
Rajshahi’s captain, Anamul Haque, hoped for a repeat of that high-scoring trend in Sylhet.
After an intense batting session on Sunday morning, Bijoy was in high spirits when he met Mizanur Rahman Babul, the head coach of Fortune Barishal. The two exchanged a few words about the wicket, with Bijoy joking, “Sir, dangerous wicket. Very, very good for batting. If you’re set, no one can get you out.”
Babul smiled and casually reminded him, “We won by 11 balls, remember? It could be the same tomorrow, I guess.”
Barishal’s success last year largely came from the all-round performance of Kyle Mayers, but he hasn’t quite found his rhythm this season. However, the West Indian is optimistic about turning things around in Sylhet. He also mentioned the potential impact of dew on the night games during the Sylhet phase, acknowledging that playing in dew is challenging for both fielding and bowling.
“The toss will be crucial,” he said.
“But regardless of whether you bat or bowl first, you just need to give your best. If you play your best cricket, it’s much easier.”
Rangpur’s Azizul Hakim Tamim is determined to continue his team’s dominance in the tournament. After their practice session, he said, “Alhamdulillah, we’ve won our first three matches. But we’re focused on keeping this momentum going. We plan to take it one match at a time, and that’s key to success in a long tournament like this.”
Local boy Jaker Ali was excited to perform in front of his home crowd. His team, the Strikers, has historically enjoyed significant support from the Sylhet fans, and Jaker is expecting nothing less this time.
“A lot of people will turn up tomorrow, you’ll see. My phone has been ringing all morning for tickets,” he said with a broad smile.