Mazid, Al-Amin seal top-spot finish for Victoria

Victoria Sporting Club topped the first phase of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League after beating Gazi Group Cricketers by 28 runs in Fatullah.

Victoria are through to the Super League along with Prime Bank Cricket Club, who qualified on the basis of a better head-to-head record against Kalabagan Krira Chakra. Both Prime Bank and Kalabagan finished on 12 points with six wins in 11 games, but Prime Bank had won the league match between the two sides in April. Gazi Group bowed out after finishing with 10 points.

The match between Victoria and Gazi Group was reduced to 33-overs-a-side after a wet outfield delayed the start by three hours and 15 minutes. Abdul Mazid's second successive hundred then drove Victoria to 219 for 7 after they opted to bat first.

After losing his opening partner, Fazle Mahmud, in the third over, Mazid and Mominul Haque added 122 runs for the second wicket. Mominul struck ten fours in his 66-ball 73 before he was caught behind off Shamsur Rahman in the 22nd over.

Mazid, who was batting on 55 off 58 balls at the time, then accelerated and reached his century off 91 balls in the penultimate over. He was dismissed for 100 soon after reaching the landmark, and struck eight fours and two sixes. Mazid was also involved in a 66-run third-wicket stand with Al-Amin.

Medium-pacer Mohammad Sharif claimed three wickets while Delwar Hossain took two.

In reply, Gazi Group lost Anamul Haque and Mahedi Hasan by the fourth over, before Shamsur Rahman and Puneet Bisht added 95 runs for the third wicket. The partnership was broken when Shamsur was dismissed by Suhrawadi Shuvo in the 20th over for a 52-ball 42.

Bisht fell in the 27th over after top-scoring with 86 off 79 balls, including 12 fours. By then, Victoria had Gazi Group on the ropes as the batting side lost five middle-order wickets for 46 runs. Al-Amin led the way for Victoria with the ball, taking 5 for 27 in four overs for his maiden List A five-for. Seamer Mahbub Alam took three wickets.

Brothers Union and Legends of Rupganj were awarded one point each after their match at the BKSP-3 ground was abandoned due to a wet outfield and pitch.

The result also relegated Kalabagan Cricket Academy and Cricket Coaching School to next season's Dhaka First Division Cricket League. Both Kalabagan CA and Cricket Coaching School had four points each but, with Brothers Union finishing on nine points, neither team would have been able to catch up, even by winning two games in the three-team relegation playoff.