An all-round show and a ton in vain
Prime Bank Cricket Club, Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity and Shinepukur Cricket Club each registered their third wins in six games beating Agrani Bank Cricket Club, Kalabagan Krira Chakra and Brothers Union respectively in the Dhaka Premier League yesterday.
At the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali stadium in Fatullah, Delwar Hossain's all-round performance guided Prime Bank to a 42-run win over Agrani Bank as the all-rounder first smashed a blistering, unbeaten 14-ball 41 to help post a fighting total of 272 for eight before picking up three wickets with his seam bowling to bundle out the opponents for 230.
Delwar struck three of his five sixes off left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak to take 22 runs in the 49th over as the batting side added 69 runs in the last five overs. Earlier, Mehedi Maruf and Mehrab Hossain Jnr struck fifties and added 94 runs in the opening wicket to lay the foundation for a big total.
However, since the departure of the two openers, Prime Bank lost the way in the middle before Delwar's late surge helped the batting side post a challenging total.
In reply, Agrani Bank never looked comfortable and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhiman Ghosh top-scored with 73 and Jahid Javed remained unbeaten on 48 at the end to complete the rites of their fourth defeat in six games.
At the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Taibur Parvez and Abul Hasan's 136-run seventh-wicket stand kept Kalabagan in the hunt till the end but they eventually fell to a 15-run defeat – their fifth in six matches -- at the hands of Khelaghar.
Chasing a target of 239, Kalabagan were teetering on 34 for seven inside 11 overs before Taibur and Abul held the ship together, both left-handers striking half-centuries as they inched towards the target.
However, after Rafsan Al Mahmud dismissed Abul for 76 off 107 balls, which included three sixes and four boundaries, Kalabagan's hopes of snatching a dramatic win also came to an end. Taibur top-scored with 81 off 113 balls with seven fours as Kalabagan eventually ended the chase on 223 for nine.
Pacer Hasan Mahmud bagged three while off spinners Robiul Islam and Anjum Ahmed took two wickets each for the bowling side.
Earlier, Khelaghar rode on their Indian recruit Ashok Maneria's 98-ball 95 which featured seven fours and four sixes along with Amit Majumder's 42 before being bundled out for 238 in 50 overs after being asked to bat.
At BKSP-3 in Savar, despite skipper Shuvagata Hom's hundred in a fighting total of 288 for eight in 50 overs, Shinepukur eventually faced their third defeat after Brothers Union reached the target with five wickets and five balls to spare.
Apart from Shuvagata's 98-ball 116, which featured 12 fours and four sixes, young Afif Hossain also scored 68 after Shinepukur elected to bat first.
In reply, Brothers opener Myshukur Rahman's 107-ball 88 set the tone for the chase. Indian batsman Debabrata Das scored 75 off 60 balls and Nasir Ali remained unbeaten on 45 off 34 balls to help Brothers clinch a relatively comfortable win with five wickets and five balls remaining.
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