Shamim’s ton stands out

Youngsters shone in the Dhaka Premier League matches yesterday with BKSP venues seeing a flurry of tons.

Abahani's Shamim Hossain hit a 68-ball 108 against City Club, paving the way for a 111-run win. The left-hander, a U-19 World Cup winner, played a blistering knock, hitting 13 fours and eight sixes at BKSP's Ground 3. His innovative stroke-playing, going across the stumps to find the boundary at fine-leg or making room to go over extra-cover, saw Abahani post a formidable 309 for five before City Club were bowled out for 198, thanks to Arafat Sunny's five-for.

In the other match at BKSP, another U-19 World Cup winner, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, struck an unbeaten 145-ball 131 to help Prime Bank chase down Legends of Rupganj's 265 for five and win by four wickets. Rupganj's innings was propelled by Raqibul Hasan's 121 and skipper Naeem Islam's 91.

ULAB hosted its first-ever DPL match yesterday and Gazi Group romped to an 86-run win over Khelaghar Samaj Kallayan Samity following half-centuries from Al Amin jr. and Gurinder Singh, which helped them reach 246 for seven. In reply, Khelaghar were bowled out for 160. The venue, surrounded by greenery and the university, will host five rounds of DPL matches.