Alex Hales hit a century in the first match of the Sylhet phase of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as the Rangpur Riders beat the Sylhet Strikers by eight wickets on Monday.
Sylhet batted first after losing the toss and posted 205 for four. Rony Talukdar and Zakir Hasan scored fifties for them, while a quickfire innings from Jaker Ali and Aaron Jones gave them a strong total to defend.
Sylhet managed 74 runs in the last five overs, with Jones and Jaker hitting four sixes in the final over, bowled by Akif Javed. Mohammad Saifuddin was the most effective bowler for the Riders, picking up two wickets for 31 runs in his four overs.
In reply, the Riders lost their opener, Azizul Hakim, for a duck. But Alex Hales and Saif Hassan were the mainstays for them to chase a big total.
Alex hit a ton—113 off 56 with 10 fours and seven sixes, while Saif scored 80 off 49 balls with three fours and seven sixes.Their batting approach kept the asking rate under control throughout the chase. Saif fell in the 18th over, but the Riders were already within touching distance of the target.
Riders completed the chase in 19 overs, finishing on 210 for two. Alex Hales was named Player of the Match for his match-winning century.
It was the Riders’ fourth win in as many matches, while it was the second defeat in two matches.
