The home team was stuttering on 75-4 when stumps were drawn well ahead of the scheduled close due to bad light.

With the depression that brewed in the Bay making its presence felt over the capital, the important match of the two former champions could only get underway after lunch.

While Dhaka experienced a gloomy start, the game at the Jessore Stadium between holders Khulna and Barisal was called off without a ball being bowled due to rain.

However, at Rangpur the inclement had no effect on Rajshahi who had a full day's cricket against Sylhet. They dismissed Sylhet for 102 and were four without loss at the end of day one.

DHAKA V CHITTAGONG

But the delay did little to help Dhaka after Chittagong captain Akram Khan sent them into bat in overcast conditions. Right-arm paceman Gazi Alamgir exploited the seaming conditions claiming the first three wickets, leaving the hosts at 34-3 before slight drizzle offered brief respite for Dhaka.

But when the match resumed again the home team lost their top-scorer Al-Shahriar, who made 35 before being out in a peculiar fashion.

The discarded national opener was adjudged to have handled the ball after he completely missed a delivery from Chittagong's new find off-spinner Yasin Arafat, who made his first-class debut with nine wickets against Rajshahi last week.

Dhaka and national captain Khaled Mahmud and Halim Shah however made sure that they carefully negotiate four overs after Al-Shahriar was dismissed in the 30th over.

Halim, who scored a century in Dhaka's victory against Barisal in the first game, was batting on 14.

Chittagong, the only team to collect full eight points from the first game, will be hoping for the same overcast weather with no chance of rain for at least another day to take a firm grip of the match.

For Dhaka nothing was going right since their upset defeat in the one-day match against Barisal.

Rashedul Haq, coming in for an out-of-sort discarded national opener Mehrab Hossain, scored only eight before being clean bowled by Alamgir.

Alamgir then trapped Sanwar dead in front of the wicket for four before tempting former national captain Naimur (1) to play a pull shot straight down the throat of Faisal at square leg. The young right-arm seamer finished the day with 3-30.

RAJSHAHI V SYLHET

Away at Rangpur Cricket Garden, Rajshahi bowled Sylhet out for 102 in a desperate effort to make up for the disappointing defeat against Chittagong last week.

A depleted Sylhet without their star middle-order batsmen Alok Kapali and Rajin Saleh showed little signs of improvement since they were shot out for 80 in their first innings against Khulna.

Only Parvez Ahmed scored a defiant 31 against a variable Rajshahi attack.

Left-arm spinner Saifullah Khan was the pick of the Rajshahi bowlers with 4-43. Shahjada claimed three wickets for 23 runs while Aminul, who opened the attack, took two for seven.

Rajshahi were four for no loss in four overs at close.