Moeen Ali shines as Sylhet beat Dhaka by 20-run

Moeen Ali produced a match-winning all-round performance as Sylhet Titans registered a crucial 20-run victory over Dhaka Titans in Bangladesh Premier League at Sylhet International Stadium on Thursday.

Batting first, Sylhet posted a competitive 180 for six in their 20 overs and then held Dhaka to 160 for eight to claim their fourth win from eight matches.

The defeat left Dhaka with four losses from six outings, pushing them into a difficult position on the points table.

Dhaka’s chase began positively, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Abdullah Al Mamun adding 56 runs in just 5.4 overs.

Abdullah struck 24 off 11 balls before his dismissal triggered a collapse.

Dhaka lost three wickets for 11 runs in 18 balls, including Shamim, who was caught on the boundary by Ethan Brookes off Moeen’s bowling.

Gurbaz anchored the innings with a 51 off 44 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes and added 37 runs with Saif Hassan to keep Dhaka in contention.

However, another rapid slide followed as Dhaka slumped from 104 for three to 113 for six in the space of 11 balls.

The wickets of Gurbaz and Saif, who scored 22 off 14 balls, all but ended Dhaka’s hopes.

Salman Irshad led Sylhet’s bowling attack with impressive figures of three for 25, while Moeen claimed two for 20 from his four overs to cap a fine all-round display.

Earlier, Sylhet built their innings through steady contributions from the top and middle order before Moeen’s explosive late cameo.

Parvez Hossain and Tawfique Khan (17 off 21) added 48 runs in the powerplay, though Dhaka struck back to reduce Sylhet to 72 for three in the 12th over.

Ariful Islam (38 off 29) and Azmatullah Omarzai (33 off 23) then stitched together a 62-run stand off 37 balls to revive the innings.

Moeen provided the finishing flourish, blasting 28 off just eight balls with two fours and three sixes.

Ethan Brookes and Mehidy Hasan Miraz also struck a six each in the final over as Sylhet surged to 180, scoring 88 runs in the last six overs.