Majid maroons Metro

“Whatever my partner can do, I can do better,” was probably what Dhaka opener Abdul Majid told himself when he cautiously guided himself to his first double century on the second day of the second round of the National Cricket League at Fatullah yesterday.

Majid, who began the day on 173, ended with 253 before retiring hurt. The batsman, who had earlier shared a record stand of 314 with Rony Talukdar on day one, continued on his merry way on the second day and provided Dhaka Metro with no respite.

His 253 came off 383 balls and overtook Talukdar's 227, which was previously the highest score of the tournament. He batted for nearly ten hours and smashed 26 fours and two sixes. The Metro bowlers failed to find a way to deceive Majid and eventually began attacking him with bouncers. One of those hit his elbow and he had to leave the field.

A soft spoken man, Majid said that he was happy to have made such a good start to the league and hoped to continue with his current form.

“It really feels great. This is the first time I crossed the 200-run mark and it has helped my confidence a great deal. I began the day on 173, and my first target was obviously to get to my double century.

“Once I achieved that I just looked to bat for as long as I could,” Majid told The Daily Star.

While his effort helped Dhaka post a powerful 525, their opponents Metro were bundled out for just 90, indicating that the wicket at Fatullah was not another batsman's paradise.

“You have to begin slowly here. You can't be in a hurry or else you're likely to fall. I tried to stay for as long as I could and the runs came,” explained Majid, adding that his favourite stroke was the cut shot.

After the innings break, Dhaka's spinners Jubair Hossain and Shuvagata Hom took nine wickets to give their side a staggering 435-run lead in the first innings.

Khulna's Imrul Kayes and Rajshahi's Junaid Siddique were the other batsmen who scored centuries yesterday. While Kayes's 166 helped Khulna take a crucial 119-run lead at the BKSP, Junaid's 113 helped Rajshahi recover from an early stumble to finish the day on 379 for 7 at Mirpur.

Scores in brief

DHAKA DIVISION: 525 for 9 dec (Majid 253, Rony 163; Shohid 4-100, Elias 4-110)
DHAKA METRO: 90 all out in 34.2 overs (Saykat 31; Shuvagata 5-17, Jubair 4-23)

BARISAL: 271
KHULNA: 390 all out in 120 overs (Imrul 166, Dollar 38; Shohag 5-94, Nasum 3-102)

RANGPUR: 367 all out 112.5 overs (Tanvir 73, Mahmudul 60; Enamul 5-107, Rahatul 2-94)
SYLHET: 191 for 5 (Kapali 70 not out, Roman 40; Sajedul 2-23)

CHITTAGONG:  209
RAJSHAHI: 379 for 7(Junaid 113, Muktar 88 not out; Iftekhar 6-109)