“It was a bit of pot luck”: Woakes seals Sylhet win with last-ball six

English all-rounder Chris Woakes pulled off a stunning last-ball six to secure Sylhet Titans’ three-wicket victory over Rangpur Riders in a dramatic Bashundhara Cement Bangladesh Premier League Eliminator on Tuesday, leaving everyone breathless at Mirpur Sher-e Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

“It’s exciting. Whenever you win a game of cricket with a six off the last ball, it’s something I’ve never done before,” Woakes said after the match. “I’ve been in that moment before where you have to try and hit for six and haven’t been able to do it. So to get one over the line is something I’ll remember. And obviously, with it being my first match in BPL as well for this team, it makes it a little bit more special.”

Chasing 112 on a tricky Mirpur wicket, Sylhet required six runs from the final delivery, with Woakes on strike facing a wide yorker from Rangpur’s Faheem Ashraf. “I knew as soon as I hit it, I knew it was six. But it was a tough game, a tricky, tricky pitch. The partnership between the captain and Billings was really important for us. I was a bit lucky to get over the line with the last ball, but a good partnership by those two,” he said.

Reflecting on the split-second decision, Woakes added: “I probably could have gone back for two, it would have been close, but it didn’t make a difference because we needed six off that last ball anyway. So I decided to take responsibility and give it a chance, and thankfully it worked.”

Titans had struggled throughout the chase, faltering at 44/4 and later 105/7, before Woakes and Sam Billings steadied the innings. “It was a bit of pot luck,” Woakes said, describing the intense finish.

Asked about his approach as a batsman against Ashraf’s wide yorker, Woakes said he visualized the delivery from a bowler’s perspective. “As a bowler, you try to think about where you would bowl. Generally, if you need six to win, a wide yorker is a really good ball because it’s hard to hit for six. On that pitch, the slower ones were the hardest to hit. He bowled five slower balls, cutters, so I was expecting the cutter, and then when it was pace on, I just reacted,” he explained.

Woakes’ dramatic strike not only kept Sylhet alive in the tournament but also marked a personal milestone for the Englishman in Bangladesh. “I have never hit a six off the last ball before. To do it in my first game for Sylhet — that’s something I’ll remember forever,” he said.