Abahani teamwork trumps Junaid ton

A combined effort from Abahani helped them overcome a Junaid Siddique century and continue their winning streak in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League yesterday. The other matches of the third round of the league saw Sheikh Jamal scrape past Prime Doleshwar by just five runs and Gazi Group Cricketers comfortably beat Legends of Rupganj by eight wickets.

Apart from the Abahani game, which had taken place at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah yesterday, the other two matches at the BKSP were affected due to rain.

The game between Sheikh Jamal and Prime Doleshwar was reduced to 38 overs a side. Batting first, Sheikh Jamal rode Imrul Kayes's 67 and Fazle Rabbi's 55 to post a decent 235. The chase was an exciting one. Punit Singh's 83 off 60 balls, which featured 11 fours, set the tone for Doleshwar. The innings helped them rise from 66 for three in 14 overs to 174 for 3 in 29. However, Abdur Razzak got him stumped in the 30th over and that pegged them back. Eventually, they needed 13 runs off the last over with three wickets in hand.

Razzak bowled a tidy last over which saw him give away just one run off the first three balls. While he did consider a boundary off the fourth, Sheikh Jamal were safe by then and eventually restricted Doleshwar to 230 for eight.

The other game at the BKSP saw Rupganj bundled out for just 156 in 44 overs. Mushfiqur Rahim was their saviour in the last two games, but even he could not do much this time as he was bowled by Parvez Rasool for 26. Abu Hider got four scalps as Gazi Group put in a dominating finish.

After the exchange, Jahurul Islam scored an unbeaten 62, while Mominul Haque posted 44, to lead them to a comfortable eight wicket win. They overcame the total in 36 overs.

At Fatullah, Abahani rode on their top four to post a brilliant 327 for six in the first innings. Uday Kaul anchored the innings with a 120-ball 94. Liton Kumar scored a 49-ball 48, while Mahmudullah and Nazmul Hossain Shanto each posted 49. Towards the end, Shuvagata Hom, who has been left out from both the Ireland tour and the Champions Trophy, hammered a 17-ball 44 with seven fours and one six to help them post the formidable score.

After the exchange, Shuvagata scalped three wickets and helped stop Brothers' run-flow. Brothers were in the game for as long as Junaid was at the crease. While he stood rock solid at one end for most part of the innings, he kept losing partners. In the 40th over, Brothers were poised at 225 for six with Junaid having reached the three-figure mark. However, he got out in the very next over for a 112-ball 114, studded with eight fours and three sixes, and that ended Brothers' hopes.