East Zone made a commanding start to the 12th Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) four-day competition, crushing Central Zone by an innings and 53 runs in Sylhet on Friday — a result built on Amite Hasan’s magnificent 162 and Ebadot Hossain’s relentless pace bowling throughout the match.
The contest was effectively decided well before the final day. Central Zone, who had resumed their second innings on an overnight score of 82 for seven, added just 21 runs before Ebadot wrapped up the tail inside the first half-hour of play, leaving the side bowled out for a meagre 103.
Ebadot was the pick of the bowlers across both innings. In the second, he dismissed Rakibul Hasan for 11, Anamul Haque for a duck, and Shadman Islam for 8, finishing with figures of 4-28. His match haul of eight wickets underlined his dominance throughout. Khaled Ahmed chipped in with three wickets in the second innings, whilst Toufayel Ahmed, Nayeem Hasan, and Hasan Murad all contributed with the ball across the match.
The foundation of East Zone’s victory, however, had been laid earlier when they batted. In response to Central Zone’s first-innings total of 307 — built on half-centuries from Sadman Islam, Ashikur Rahman Shibli, and Abu Haider Rony — East Zone produced a commanding reply of 463, giving them a decisive 156-run first-innings lead.
At the heart of that innings was Amite Hasan, whose superb 162 anchored the East Zone batting effort. He received strong support from Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who contributed 64, and Mushfiqur Rahim, who weighed in with a vital 83. Central Zone’s spin attack offered brief resistance, with Rakibul Hasan claiming five first-innings wickets, but the batting unit never recovered from the deficit.
In the other BCL fixture, North Zone defeated South Zone by 10 wickets inside three days on Thursday.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board is yet to confirm the fixtures for the remaining two rounds of the BCL, which are expected to take place after the forthcoming Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League 2025-26 season, scheduled to begin in early May.
