NCL round-up: Dhaka claw back from 0 for 4 to stun Sylhet; Mahmudul scores another century

Dhaka Division fought back from being 0 for 4 on the first morning to beat Sylhet Division by three runs on the final day of their NCL game in Sylhet. It equaled the closest margin (by runs) in first-class cricket in Bangladesh. The home side was bowled out for 98 in the fourth innings, chasing 102 to win.

Rangpur Division remained on top of the Tier I points table after they beat Khulna Division by three wickets at the Sylhet Academy Ground, chasing down a tricky 248 on the last day.

Chattogram Division beat Barisal Division by an innings and 73 runs at the BKSP-3 Ground, while Rajshahi Division drew with Dhaka Metropolis at the adjacent BKSP-4 Ground in Savar.

Best batters
Chattogram's Mahmudul Hasan Joy struck back-to-back centuries after he made 121 off 211 balls with nine fours and a six, against Barisal.

Tanzid Hasan and Junaid Siddique made hundreds in Rajshahi's final day rearguard action against Dhaka Metropolis. Tanzid scored a brisk 145 off 171 balls with 15 fours and two sixes, while the experienced Siddique scored a more patient 117 off 346 balls.

Best bowlers
Nasum Ahmed took 7 for 43 on the first day against Dhaka Division, a few days after returning from Bangladesh's T20 World Cup campaign in the UAE. He followed it up with 5 for 70, which gave him career-best figures of 12-113. It was, however, not enough for Sylhet as they fell short in the chase.

Instead, Dhaka's Nazmul Islam, the Player of the Match, finished with 9 for 115 in the same match, including a five-wicket haul in the first innings.

Dhaka Metro's Shohidul Islam took career-best figures of 7 for 48 against Rajshahi, while Khulna allrounder Mrittunjoy Chowdhury took 5 for 62 in their win against Rangpur.

Best match
Both Tier-1 games were worth watching. Dhaka bounced back superbly against Sylhet from 0 for 4 to score 123. Sylhet took a comfortable 142-run lead, with Sayem Alam, Zakir Hasan and Jaker Ali scoring fifties as they made 265.

Dhaka were bowled out for 243 in their second attempt, with opener Abdul Mazid and No. 4 Raqibul Hasan hitting half-centuries. But Nazmul's four-wicket haul in the second innings triggered Sylhet's collapse, as they were bowled out for 98 on the final day.

In the other fixture, Rangpur were behind by 35 runs in the first innings when Nasir Hossain's four wickets, and three each from Alauddin Babu and Sohrawardi Shuvo helped bowl out Khulna for 212 in the second innings. It left Rangpur with a 248-run target.

Tanbir Hayder struck 74 to take them to a strong position after lunch but a cluster of wickets left them on 205 for 7. Captain Akbar Ali and Shuvo took them home with a 43-run, unbroken eighth-wicket stand.

Points to ponder
Rangpur lead Tier-1 with 26.39 points, closely followed by Dhaka on 22.63 points. In Tier-2, Chittagong look in the strongest position to push for promotion next season, after they ended the round on 26.6 points. Barisal are second on 16.9 points.

Players to watch
Youngsters Akbar and Mrittunjoy, both part of Bangladesh's Under-19 World Cup win last year, played well in this round. Mehidy Hasan Miraz also continued to shine, this time scoring twin fifties and taking five wickets against Rangpur.