Caribbean all-rounder Kyle Mayers certainly has some kind of a liking for Chattogram considering the fact it put his name on the world map, courtesy of his sensational double hundred on Test debut against Bangladesh in 2021.
Mayers, who got recognized in the international circuit through that innings, simply changed the complexion of the game by coming up with a counter-attack that forced the visitors to go into defensive mode after trying all the tricks but it went in vain against his majestic unbeaten 210.
Fortune Barishal looked determined to remind Mayers about his heroics on this ground as they presented him the jersey with the number 210 and he did not disappoint as well as he came up with a match-winning all-round performance against Sylhet Strikers at the ZACS on Saturday.
Mayers struck a brilliant innings of 48 off31 balls while he also finished with 3-12 to script Barishal’s sixth victory out of 10 matches.
“I didn’t choose the jersey number (210). It was just given to me and I think it was a nice gesture by whoever in the team decided to do so,” Mayers told reporters at the post-match press conference after they beat Sylhet by 18 runs.
“Great memories coming here as the last time I played here, I scored a double hundred. I’m so happy to come back,” he said, adding that the moment he entered the field, he had a special feeling inside him.
“I just felt different when I got up today and in the training. Obviously, there are some good memories here and when I went to the nets, I felt that I had my best net session yesterday (Friday).
“I had been practising for a while and I felt I wasn’t hitting the mark but yesterday everything just clicked. So it helped,” he said, adding that the batters need to take their time before coming out of the shackles.
“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. You’ll get good value for your shots so I really enjoy batting here. On other grounds, you might have to use a bit more power,” he concluded.