Sylhet opener Imtiaz Hossain continued his magnificent form with the willow by hitting successive tons in the ongoing National Cricket League, as he scored a patient unbeaten century against Rajshahi on the opening day of the third round that also showcased batsmen dominating the scene at different venues. Right-handed Imtiaz was not out on 125 off 285 balls to help Sylhet post 236-4 against Rajsahi at stumps in Bogra.
Unlike the first two rounds, national cricketers came back to their own form to highlight the first-class competition as Chittagong opener Tamim Iqbal was not out on 90 off 160 balls at his home ground to help his team post 206-2 in the rain curtailed affair against Barisal
Dhaka made 261-4 against Dhaka Metropolis at Fatullah on the back of half centuries by Abdul Mazid and Roqibul Hassan.
Only in Khulna did the bowlers came on top over the batsmen as Rangpur bowlers rattled hosts Khulna for 211 before they were reduced to 23-2.
Left-arm spinner Sohrawardi Shuvo picked up 4-81 while Under-19 off-spinner Sanjit Saha grabbed 4-37 to devastate the experienced batting unit of Khulna as they were bundled out in 64.3 overs.
Sylhet v Rajshahi
Experienced opener Imtiaz Hossain looked to enjoy his time in the NCL as he followed his 127 runs against Barisal with a responsible unbeaten hundred against Rajshahi giving indication of his new-found confidence.
Imtiaz made 125 runs from 225 balls with 11 fours and one six to rescue his team from an early setback when they were struggling at 4-82 by putting up an unbroken 152 runs for the fifth-wicket with Ruman Ahmed (81 not out).
Chittagong v Barisal
spo06Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal showed his class leaving behind his earlier disappointment in the tournament, making a maiden half-century in this edition, scoring 90 not out as Chittagong made 202-2 in the rain curtailed match.
Tamim, who scored 13 runs in the opening game and 0 and 4 in the next game, came up with a fighting new mind-set to lead from the front during his 160 ball stay featuring 11 fours and one six.
Tamim and his elder brother Nafees Iqbal (56) scored 98 runs for the opening stand to lay the foundation for the port city side.
The left-hander added unbroken 89 runs for the third wicket with Tasamul Haque (39 not out).
Dhaka v Dhaka Metropolis
Opener Abdul Mazid scored 66 runs while middle-order batsman Roqibul Hasan scored an unbeaten 89 runs to guide Dhaka to 261-4 against Metropolis to dictate terms in the first-day at the Khan Saheb Osman Ali Stadium at Fatullah.
Roqibul made unbeaten 89 runs from 154 balls with 10 fours to help his side into a comfortable position after they opted to bat and forced Metropolis into lacking option that prompted them to use nine bowlers.
Arafat Sunny picked up 3-79 for Metropolis.
Khulna v Rangpur
Current champions Rangpur were carried by spin duo Sohrawardi and Sanjit as Khulna were bowled out for 211 runs on the back of Mehedi Hasan’s 63 runs and later in reply scored 23-2 to trail by 188 runs with eight wickets in hand.
Left-arm spinner Sohrawardi Shuvo picked up 4-81 while Under-19 off-spinner Sanjit Saha grabbed 4-37 to run havoc in opponents batting rank that hardly looked capable of handling different forms of spin bowling at tandem.
-With New Age input
