Chittagong and Rajshahi seize the initiative

Dhaka 75 for 4 v Chittagong
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Chittagong made the most of damp weather after putting Dhaka in a spot of bother on the opening day of their Mirzapore Tea National Cricket League fixture at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. Dhaka were stuttering at 75 for 4 at stumps, well ahead of the scheduled close, due to bad light.

The match got underway only after lunch, but the delay did little to help Dhaka after Akram Khan, the Chittagong captain, opted to field in overcast conditions. Gazi Alamgir, the medium-pacer, exploited the overcast conditions and reduced Dhaka to 34 for 3. Rashidul Haq, coming in for Mehrab Hossain, scored only 8 before being bowled by Alamgir. Alamgir then trapped Sanwar Hossain dead plumb before tempting Naimur Rahman to hole out to square leg. At this point, persistent drizzle stopped play for sometime.

When play resumed, things got worse as Mohammad Al-Sahariar (35) was dismissed in a freaky manner. He was adjudged to have handled the ball after he completely missed a delivery from Yasin Arafat, the offspinner. Khaled Mahmud and Halim Shah however negotiated the next four overs without much alarm.

Rajshahi 4 for 0 trail Sylhet 102 by 98 runs
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At Rangpur Cricket Garden, Rajshahi shot out Sylhet for just 102 on the first day. A depleted Sylhet side, without Alok Kapali and Rajin Saleh, showed little signs of improvement since they were gunned down for 80 against Khulna. Parvez Ahmed scored a defiant 31 and was the only was the only batsmen to pass 20.

Saifullah Khan, the left-arm spinner, was the pick of the Rajshahi bowlers with 4 for 43. Mohammad Shahzada claimed three wickets while Aminul Islam chipped in with 2 for 7. Rajshahi were four for no loss in four overs at close.

Khulna v Barisal
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The game at the Jessore Stadium between Khulna and Barisal was called off due to rain without a ball being bowled.