Mayers uses past good performances in Chattogram to the max

It was veni vidi vici again for Kyle Mayers as the West Indies all-rounder was the star of the show for Fortune Barishal as they defeated Sylhet Strikers as they won by 18 runs. 
Batting first, Barishal scored 183-6 in their 20 overs and in reply, Sylhet managed 165-8 in their 20. 

Mushfiqur Rahim continued his good form with the bat and went on to score 52 from 32 balls for Barishal.

Benny Howell (53 from 32 balls) and Ariful Haque (57 from 31 balls) gave Sylhet some hope in the end but they didn't get enough support from the others to ace the chase. 

Mayers, playing his first match for Barishal this season and his first match in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), took to the Chattogram pitch like a duck to water as he scored 48 from 31 balls and also bowled brilliantly and took 3-12 in his four overs. 

The left-hander has good memories of playing in Chattogram as he scored his maiden double-century against Bangladesh in an epic run chase to help the West Indies win the Test.
Mayers spoke to the media after the win and about having good memories of playing in Chattogram.

"Yeah, of course, great memories coming here. The last time I played here, I scored a double hundred. So happy to come back," he said on Saturday. 

Plenty of foreign players have started to join the BPL with the other franchise T20 leagues recently concluding and Mayers was just happy to be playing cricket again after not getting enough chances in the last few months. 

"I was excited to hear that I was coming here to play in the BPL. There are a few reasons and one of them being able to play. I've been on the road for the past two months but wasn't playing regularly. I only played two games in six weeks prior to this so I was very happy to showcase my skills," he revealed. 

The 31-year-old spoke about being in good touch in the nets despite not playing enough cricket recently and that helped him perform well in this match. 

"I just felt different when I got up today and in training. Obviously, there are some good memories here and when I went to the nets and I feel I had my best net session yesterday (Friday). I had been practicing for a while and I felt I wasn't hitting the mark but yesterday everything just clicked, so that helped," he explained.

Mayers, who unlike most West Indian T20 players likes to rely on timing the ball instead of muscling it for six-hitting and detailed on why the Chattogram surface suits his batting.

"I think it's a good batting surface. Kind of slow but the outfield is really fast. You need to take your time and just time the balls here and you'll get good value for your shots so I really enjoy batting here. In other grounds, you might have to use a bit more power," he added.

Fortune Barishal's win took them to 12 points from 10 matches and helps them strengthen their position in the top four and a chance to qualify for the playoffs.

Sylhet however, have been eliminated from the tournament with just six points from 10 games and only two games remaining. 

Despite Barishal's good run of form, where they won four out of the last five matches, their start was shaky and Mayers feels that the key players are stepping up at the right time and the team is full of leaders.: "I came here just two days ago. I had a meeting that we had a rough start to the tournament. I wasn't following as well as I should have. I think we have some good players here and they're putting in the performances now. We have some good leaders too which I feel really helps."

The man from Barbados was given the jersey number 210, the same number as his highest Test score against Bangladesh and he appreciated the thoughtful gesture from his team. 

"I didn't choose the jersey number (210). It was just given to me, and I think it was a nice gesture by whoever the team decided to do so," he concluded.