Habibur Rahman Sohan and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto struck half-centuries as Rajshahi Division defeated Khulna by eight wickets in the NCL T20 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
The second edition of the tournament was hit by monsoon rain and inclement weather, which forced the Technical Board committee to relocate all the matches from Bogura and Rajshahi to Sylhet, following a postponement.聽
Opting to bat first, Khulna posted 171-7, after Soumya Sarkar (63 off 34) and Aif Hossain (50 off 45) made half-centuries.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who missed the Netherlands series and Asia Cup, failed to leave a mark on his return as he scored just 10 and Nahidul Islam made 17 runs.
Six of the seven Rajshahi bowlers were among the wickets, with Nihad Uz Zaman (2-20) taking a double.
Chasing the target, Shanto and Habibur made some light work, putting together a remarkable 148 runs for their opening partnership.聽
Habibur scored an aggressive 94 off 45 deliveries, including 10 fours and six sixes. Unfortunately, he fell short of a well-earned century by six runs when Robiul Haque claimed his wicket.聽
Meanwhile, Shanto finished not out, contributing 65 runs off 69 balls with the help of eight fours and two sixes. Robiul finished on 2-25 for Khulna.
In the other match, Dhaka Division thrashed Rangpur by 77 runs, thanks to the bowling brilliance of Taibur Rahman (3-22) at the same venue.
After being put into bat first, Dhaka鈥檚 Mosaddek Hossain smashed a 32-ball 64, featuring five boundaries and four sixes and Ariful played an unbeaten 59 off 49 deliveries to help set a total of 171-3.聽
In response, Rangpur managed only 100 runs in 17.1 overs, with just four of the batters reaching double figures, with Naeem Islam scoring the highest 26 off 37 balls.聽
Apart from Taibur, Nazmul Islam Apu and pacer Ripon Mondol each claimed two wickets, reducing the Rangpur to 68-8 at one stage.聽
Alauddin Babu and Abu Hasim added 21 and 25 runs respectively, aiding their side to reach the 100-mark.
