Prime Bank go top with big win
A round-up of the Dhaka Premier Division matches on December 30, 2014
ESPNcricinfo staff
30-Dec-2014
Umpire Rafiqul Islam pulls Abahani's Nasir Hossain away from Prime Doleshwar's Asif Ahmed • Daily Kaler Kantho/Mir Farid
Prime Bank Cricket Club took the lead in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League after their six-wicket win over Kalabagan Cricket Academy in Fatullah. They are now on 22 points with their nearest rivals Abahani slipping to third after their loss to Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club in Mirpur.
Batting first in a shortened match, KCA made 188 for 8 in 45 overs with Mahmudul Hasan top scoring with 33 and their new foreign recruit Darren Stevens making only 8 in his return to Bangladesh after the BPL scandal. Taskin Ahmed and Enamul Haque jnr took two wickets each.
Prime Bank's chase was made easy after their openers added 113 for the first wicket. Soumya Sarkar struck 61 off 69 balls with eight boundaries while Siakat Ali made 49. They won with eight overs to spare.
Dawid Malan and Elias Sunny shepherded Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club to a five-wicket win over Abahani in a plucky display in Mirpur.
The win keeps Doleshwar in the hunt as they now have 20 points, level with Abahani but ahead in the points table due to a better head-to-head record.
After Abahani made 201 for 9 in 45 overs, Doleshwar were rocked when they lost four wickets for 56 runs by the 13th over. Malan then held the innings together with Asif Ahmed, adding 70 runs for the fifth wicket.
Asif fell in the 31st over, edging Al-Amin Hossain who had earlier snared Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim off successive deliveries. Dholeshwar needed 76 off 14.5 overs, and Malan stepped up with a calm approach, stroking timely boundaries.
He made 87 off 112 balls with nine fours and a six, and was well supported by Sunny who chipped in with 22 and hit the winning runs, in the 44th over. Al-Amin finished with four wickets for 51 from his nine overs.
The game, though, was marred by a verbal altercation between Asif and Abahani's Nasir Hossain, with the two almost coming to a confrontation before the umpires restrained them.
Away at the BKSP-3 ground, Mohammedan Sporting Club beat Legends of Rupganj by seven wickets.
Batting first Rupganj made 204 for 9 in 34 overs with Jahurul Islam making 47 off 53 balls. Mashrafe Mortaza and Naeem Islam took two wickets each. In reply, Mohammedan won with two overs to spare. Naeem scored an unbeaten 71-ball 76 with three fours and three sixes, while Sayem Alam made 73 off 69 balls with three fours and four sixes.