A hattrick and a ton in vain
Naeem Islam hit the first century of this year's Dhaka Premier League, but his unbeaten 116 was still not enough for Legends of Rupganj to avoid a stinging three-run defeat against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club at the BKSP in Saver yesterday.
Also not enough was a hattrick by Legends's left-arm spinner Asif Hasan, who dismissed opener Pinak Ghosh and Saikat Ali in the last two balls of the ninth over, before returning to dismiss the other opener Hazanuzzaman off the first ball of the 11th.
Naeem then played a lone hand in the Legends' futile attempt to eclipse Jamal's 230 for nine. They required 11 runs from the final over but could only manage seven, including a four off the fifth ball. With five needed off the final delivery from impressive young pace bowler Abu Jayed Chowdhury, his spot-on yorker yielded just one.
Apart from the three late wickets that stole the game, Jayed also scalped Legends' Pakistani opener Sami Aslam and finished with four for 42 from 10 overs.
Naeem struck eight fours and four sixes in his run-a-ball knock. The right-hander shared in 89 runs for the sixth wicket with Nazmul Hasan (51) after the Legends were reduced to 56 for five.
Sheikh Jamal also had early trouble after being asked to bat first. They were reduced to 67 for four before wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan salvaged the situation with a fantastic 90. The right-hander hammered eight fours and a six in his 107-ball knock. He also won the player-of-the-match award ahead of Jayed, Asif or Naeem, who also took two wickets.
The other game at the lone sports institute of the country produced a similar first innings score of 230, but Mohammedan Sporting Club ended as losers when Brothers Union, thriving on skipper Alok Kapali's all-round performance, raced to 232 for five with three overs to spare.
The veteran right-hander scored an unbeaten 95 off 91 balls that contained four fours and as many sixes. Kapali, who also took three wickets with his leg-spin, featured in two vital stands -- 105 runs for the fourth wicket with John Simpson (39) and 55 for the unbroken sixth wicket with Sohrawardi Shuvo (33).
The game also marked the return of disgraced former Pakistan captain Salman Butt to competitive cricket outside his country. Butt scored 62 off 80 balls in a fine second-wicket stand of 94 with Shamsur Rahman. But once he was dismissed, Mohammedan's innings derailed despite Rahman's valiant 84 off 105 balls.
At the Khan Saheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah, Prime Bank recorded a comfortable seven-wicket win against Kalabagan Krira Chakra. Sent into bat, Kalabagan limped to 172 for eight after losing half their wickets for 68 in the face of some hostile bowling from Delwar Hossain, who took three for 32. Taibur Rahman (45) and Mahmudul Hasan (50) tried to rebuild the innings but the early damage proved too much.
Prime Bank raced to 173 for three in 36 overs with openers Mehedi Hasan (51) and Zakir Hasan (68) hitting half centuries.
SCORES IN BRIEF
KALABAGAN V PRIME BANK
KALABAGAN KC: 172 for 8 in 50 overs (Tasamul 17, Taibur 45, Mahmudul 50 not out; Delwar 3-32, Shariful 2-31)
PRIME BANK CC: 173 for 3 in 36 overs (Maruf 51, Zakir 56, Chandela 41 not out; Muktar 1-27)
Result: Prime Bank CC won by 7 wickets.
SK JAMAL V LEGENDS OF RUPGANJ
SK JAMAL DC: 230 for 9 in 50 overs (Hasanuzzaman 49, Sunny 23, Nurul 90, Al-Imran 28; Asif 3-23, Mosharraf 2-41, Naeem 2-47)
LEGENDS OF RUPGANJ: 227 for 8 in 50 overs (Naeen 116 not out, Nazmul 51; Zayed 4-42, Shohag 2-42)
Result: Sk Jamal won by 3 runs.
MOHAMMEDAN V BROTHERS UNION
MOHAMMEDAN SC: 230 for 8 in 50 overs (Butt 62, Shamsur 85, Raqibul 27, Saeed 21; Suhrawardi 2-40)
BROTHERS UNION: 232 for 5 in 47.2 overs (Junaid 22, Yasir 21, Simpson 39, Kapali 95 not out, Suhrawardi 39 not out; Onik 2-42, Ebadat 2-31)
Result: Brothers Union won by 5 wickets.
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