To seize the lead in the Bangladesh Cricket League, Central Zone defeated North Zone by a score of 10 wickets. Jaker Ali once more made the difference with his century, helping him win back-to-back Player-of-the-Match honours in the competition after his 121 earlier had helped Central defeat East Zone in the first round.
Abu Hider and Musfik Hasan each grabbed three wickets for Central against North at Chattogram, allowing Central to dismiss North for 169 on the first day. Their average batting performance was only distinguished by Saif Hassan’s 73. When Central responded, they were at 64 for 5 when Jaker and the seasoned Sharifullah came to their rescue with a 164-run sixth-wicket partnership.
Jaker scored 138 from 241 balls, his second first-class century, with nine fours and three sixes. Sharifullah scored 83 runs off 138 balls, including nine fours, as Central amassed 335 runs and went up by 166 runs. Tawfique Khan and Akbar Ali scored fifty runs for North in the second inning, but they were bowled out for 247, which was just marginally better than their performance in the first inning.
Musfik and Hider each claimed two wickets as Central needed just 82 runs to win. The goal was subsequently reached by Central in only 17.4 overs thanks to Abdullah Al Mamun’s unbeaten 66 off just 70 balls, which included nine fours and three sixes.
At the drew match between East Zone and South Zone in Cox’s Bazar, Jahurul Islam scored 145 and 62 balls. East scored 350 runs in their opening innings, with Jahurul’s laborious century taking seven hours and 23 minutes to complete. During his 294-ball stint, he hit 15 fours and two sixes.
Together with Shahadat Hossain, who made 60 runs, and Mohammad Ashraful, who made 49 runs, Jahurul combined 83 runs for the fourth wicket. Sumon Khan, a medium-pace bowler, got four wickets for South, and Nazmul Islam claimed three. Offspinner Nayeem Hasan grabbed 6 for 89 for East but Pinak Ghosh and Moin Khan both scored half-centuries to help South respond with 335.
With only a 15-run advantage, East was helped by fifty-plus scores from Jahurul, Ashraful, and Ruyel Miah. Moin grabbed five South wickets. In spite of batting quickly to reach 77 in less than 14 overs as South attempted to chase down 276 runs, Anamul Haque scored 51 runs. Now that the Bangladesh Premier League is set to begin the next week, the BCL will come to an end. The T20 event will be followed by the competition.