Allround Bopara powers Sylhet Superstars to first win in last-over thriller

Ravi Bopara has put on a sparkling allround show to fire Sylhet Superstars to their first win of the 2015 Bangladesh Premier League in a thrilling last-over contest against Comilla Victorians.

It took the Superstars five matches to earn their first victory of this edition. They won the match by four wickets at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Monday.

Bopara became the first player ever to score a half-century and take four wickets in a BPL match.

Victorians' paceman Abu Hider Rony made it interesting with two wickets in two successive balls in the last over but Nazmul Hossain launched the hat-trick ball over long-off to take his team to the win.

After being put to bat first, the Comilla franchise posted 168 for 5 despite Bopara's haul.

The England allrounder then shone with the bat while captain Mushfiqur Rahim (47 off 31 balls) played a fine knock to help the Superstars seal the win with two balls to spare.

Opener Dilshan Munaweera (36 off 26) was looking good at the start of the Superstars' innings but fell to Rony before Bopara (50 off 38 balls) and Mushfiq stitched an 87-run stand to take their team ever closer to the win.

The duo mixed aggression with caution and switched play with a clever and regular rotation of the strike. With eight boundaries and a six between them, they cropped up the partnership off just 57 balls.

After Mushfiq departed of Nuwan Kulasekara, Hammad Azam (13) took the Superstars closer by smashing Krishmar Santokie for a four and a six before perishing in the next over.

With seven runs needed off the last over, Bopara holed out at long-on off Rony who was on a hat-trick after taking out Shehan Jayasuriya (1) in the next ball.

But Nazmul cleared his front leg and sent the next ball sailing over long-off to finish the chase in style.

Rony returned 4 for 28 while Kulasekara chipped in with two wickets for Sylhet Superstars.

Earlier, the Victorians had posted the total with the help of some fine batting from openers Litton Kumer Das (42 off 24 balls) and Imrul Kayes (48) and a cracking unbeaten half-century from Ashar Zaidi (53 off 36 balls).

Kayes anchored the innings at the top of the order while Litton flourished with some dazzling shots on both sides of the wicket.

The opening duo blazed to 56 in the seventh over before Bopara took three wickets in two overs, including that of Litton, who bedecked his innings with six boundaries and a six.

Kayes regained momentum with Zaidi with a 62-run stand before Bopara struck again but the Victorians had reached 128 for 4 in the 17th over by then.

Zaidi then took charge and hammered five boundaries and two sixes to power his team to the total.

Pacer Rubel Hossain, who joined the Superstars after recovering from an injury, had little to show returning an uninspiring 0 for 48 in 4 overs.

Bopara, who was also involved in a run out, took 4 for 18 in 4 overs.