Akbar Ali’s brilliant century and Rishad Hossain’s four-wicket haul powered North Zone to a 54-run victory over East Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) one-day opener at Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogura on Monday. North Zone posted 335 before bowling out East Zone for 281.
Chasing the target, East Zone lost their first three batters within 69 runs. Zakir Hasan fell cheaply in single digits, while Parvez Hossain Emon scored 35 and Amit Hasan added 22. Captain Yasir Ali then built a 72-run partnership with Mominul Haque, who scored 42.
Shamim Patwary and Saifuddin failed to play big innings, though Mominul was the only batter to provide stability in the middle order. Batting as the eighth wicket to fall, Mominul made 83 off 82 balls before being dismissed by Rishad while attempting a sweep shot.
Rishad finished with figures of 10-0-57-4, taking the wickets of Yasir, Saifuddin, Shamim and Mominul.
Earlier, after winning the toss and batting first, North Zone were struggling at 118 for 4 when Akbar walked in. Tanzid Hasan scored 54 off 44 balls, sharing an 82-run stand with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, while Liton Das and Towhid Hridoy failed to contribute significantly.
Akbar anchored the innings with Shanto, who scored 68, forming a crucial 120-run partnership. The right-hander smashed 111 off 87 balls, hitting six sixes and eight fours before being dismissed by Saifuddin, who endured an expensive spell of 10 overs for 98 runs with two wickets.
Even after Akbar’s departure, Abdul Gaffar Saklain and Shariful provided a late flourish to push North Zone past the 300-mark, eventually reaching 335. Khaled Ahmed was the most successful East Zone bowler with four wickets.
