Zakir, Junaid shine in round of drawn games

East Zone and Central Zone played out a high-scoring draw at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna. In a match of several notable individual performances, Zakir Hasan scored his maiden double-hundred, while five other East Zone batsmen made centuries. East Zone made 735 for 6, the third highest team score in Bangladesh's first-class history. Zakir top-scored with 211 off 320 balls, hitting 23 fours. He added 193 runs for the third wicket with Liton Das who made 112 off 186 balls with eight fours and a six.

Zakir then added 132 runs for the fourth wicket with Tasamul Haque who made 60, before departing on the second day, following which Yasir Ali and Alok Kapali also struck hundreds. Yasir made 132 off 175 balls with 12 fours and two sixes while Kapali blasted an unbeaten 165 off 139 balls with nine sixes and 10 fours.

Central Zone were then bowled out for 428 after fifties from Shadman Islam, Raqibul Hasan, Marshall Ayub, Shuvagata Hom and Tanbir Hayder. Sohag Gazi was the pick of the bowlers, taking 7 for 141 in 46.1 overs.

There was enough time for two more centuries in the game. East Zone openers Tasamul Haque and Mehedi Maruf made unbeaten scores of 108 and 111 respectively during their unbroken first wicket stand of 226 runs in 52 overs in the second innings.

Junaid Siddique scored hundreds in each innings during North Zone's drawn match against South Zone. They are now on top of the points table with 34 points as the Bangladesh Cricket League heads into a break for the Dhaka Premier League List-A competition that begins next month.

Batting first, North Zone were bowled out for 408 runs after a big opening stand. Mizanur Rahman and Junaid added 169 runs, with both getting hundreds. Mizanur made 106 off 155 balls with 16 fours while Junaid, who batted till the 96th over, struck 13 fours and two sixes in his 137 off 238 balls. Dhiman Ghosh and Taijul Islam later struck fifties.

Abdur Razzak, who recently became the first Bangladeshi to take 500 first-class wickets, took six wickets in the first innings from his 34.2 overs.

South Zone took a 25-run lead wit their 433 runs in 115.1 overs. Tushar Imran, who recently became the first Bangladeshi to reach 10,000 first-class runs, top-scored with 148. Imrul Kayes made 118 off 131 balls and the pair added 143 runs for the third wicket.

Taijul Islam and Shafiul Islam took four wickets each, following which North Zone batted 71.3 overs in the second innings. Junaid made 150 off 170 balls with 16 fours and a six. He added 109 runs for the fourth wicket with Naeem Islam who chipped in with 61, before adding 160 runs for the fifth wicket with Ariful Haque who remained unbeaten on 103 when the match ended.