Dhaka, Barisal, Rajshahi, Khulna in second phase
Dhaka and Barisal maintained their lead in the points table of the Nation Cricket League after winning their respective matches while Chittagong signed off their campaign with a thumping 121-run victory over Sylhet in the fifth and final round of the first phase on Friday.
Paceman Mahbubul Alam grabbed 5-27 as Dhaka defeated Khulna by six wickets at Bogra while Barisal condemned Rajshahi to a three-wicket defeat at the Sher-e-Bagla National Stadium.
Dhaka and Barisal jointly lead the table with eight points each as Rajshahi slipped to second position. Khulna joined the trio in the four-team second phase, despite having equal four points with Cittagong, for a better head to head record.
Barisal v Rajshahi
Rajshahi rode on an 84-run sixth-wicket stand between Zubayer Ahmed (46) and Anisur Rahman (61) to post a competitive 220-9 in 50 overs before half-centuries from Fazle Rabbi and Hannan Sarkar helped Barisal overhaul the target in the final ball.
In-from opener Rabbi smashed 50 off 54 balls spiced with five fours to give Barisal a solid start and Hannan used the foundation to make 58 off 89 balls to take them home. Former national opener Hannan added 91 runs for the third wicket with wicketkeeper Shaheen Hossain, who made 47.
Khulna v Dhaka
Khulna had a disastrous start losing their first four wickets for as many runs with pacer Mahbubul Alam taking all four wickets in his fierce opening spell. Tushar Imran steadied the innings with 53 runs and he together with wicketkeeper Sahgir Hossain (54 off 120 balls) took them to 170 runs finally before Mahbubul completed his five-wicket haul to wrap up the innings.
Wicketkeeper Anamul Haque was unbeaten on 64 runs as Dhaka raced to 171-4 with more than 13 overs to play. Opener Uttam Sarkar chipped in with 44 from 49 balls for Dhaka.
Chittagong v Sylhet
Faisal Hossain produced a brilliant all-round performance as Chittagong recorded their second win in the competition. Faisal hit 58 off 49 balls with six fours before Nafees Iqbal (69 off 113 balls) and Aftab Ahmed (52 off 49 balls) made two other fifties to lead Chittagong to a commendable 251-7.
The left-arm spinner later claimed five wickets for 28 runs as Sylhet were all out for a scanty 130 runs in 31.6 overs.
Brief Scores
Dhaka v Khulna
Khulna: 170 all out in 47.5 overs: Saharier Hossain 54, Tushar Imran 53; Mahbubul Alam 5-27, Elias Sunny 2-24.
Dhaka: 171-4 in 36.5 overs: Anamul Haque 64 not out, Uttam Sarkar 44; Bishwanath 3-19.
Result: Dhaka won by 6 wickets
Man of the match: Mahbubul Alam
Chittagong v Sylhet
Chittagong: 251-7 in 50 overs: Nafees Iqbal 69, Foisal Hossain 58, Aftab Ahmed 52; Tapash Boysha 2-42.
Sylhet: 130 all out in 36.1 overs: Syem Alam 45; Foisal Hossain 5-28.
Result: Chittagong won by 121 runs
Man of the match: Foisal Hossain
Rajshahi v Barisal
Rajshahi: 220-9 in 50 overs: Anisur Rahman 61, Zubayer Ahmed 46; Sohag Gazi 2-25, Kamrul Islam 2-51.
Barisal: 221-7 in 50 overs: Hannan Sarkar 58, Fazle Rabbi 50; Saqlain Shajib 2-31, Farhad Reja 2-50.
Result: Barisal won by 3 wickets
Man of the match: Hannan Sarkar
Points Table
Teams M W L Pts
Dhaka 5 4 1 8
Barisal 5 4 1 8
Rajshahi 5 3 2 6
Khulna 5 2 3 4
Chittagong 5 2 3 4
Sylhet 5 0 5 0
