Abahani Limited sealed its record 10th straight victory in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League (DPL) by overcoming a stern challenge of mighty Prime Bank Cricket Club at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.
The defending champions Abahani pulled off a 58-run victory after showing an unwavering resolve, thanks to Najmul Hossain Shanto and Naim Sheikh who both hit centuries.
Shanto blasted a fluent 118 off 85 with 13 fours and four sixes while opener Naim made 104 ball-105, hitting 10 fours and two sixes.
After the duo set the platform upfront, Towhid Hridoy played a whirlwind 35 ball-65 not out with two fours and four sixes as Abahani Limited, who was asked to bat first put up 341-4.
Prime Bank were bowled out for 283 in 49.2 overs despite an unbeaten 111 from Mushfiqur Rahim. Opener Tamim Iqbal was dismissed for just 1 after being caught by Naim off Taskin Ahmed but he seemed not to be satisfied with the umpire's decision.
His opening partner Parvez Hossain Emon however made 56 but other batters, sans Mushfiqur couldn't stand tall in the crunch game.
Taskin and Tanzim Hasan Sakib claimed three wickets apiece for Abahani to rip through Prime Bank's batting line up.
It was Prime Bank's fourth defeat in 10 games but they are still in the Super League race.
UNB Add, Sheikh Jamal continue winning streak, with securing a 5-wicket victory against Partex Sporting Club (PSC) in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League on Monday at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah.
This was the first match of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club after the Eid break and their tenth match in the event. This win brings their points tally in the ongoing league to 16.
Partex Sporting Club won the toss and elected to bat first, starting steadily with a 41-run partnership for the first wicket between Munim Shahriar and Azmir Ahmed. But wickets began to fall at regular intervals, and PSC struggled to build partnerships.
Partex Sporting Club managed a below-par total of only 205 runs, due in part to a late contribution of 35 runs by Ahrar Amin.
Shafiqul Islam was the pick of the bowlers for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, bagging four wickets, while Taibur Rahman took three. Their effective bowling restricted Partex Sporting Club to a chaseable total.
In response, Sheikh Jamal Club lost four wickets inside 100 runs. Despite the early losses, they remained in control of the match. Opener Shykat Ali posted 41, and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club captain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, anchored the chase with a well-played 76, guiding the team to victory.
With this victory, Sheikh Jamal has moved up to second place in the points table, while Partex has slipped to eleventh place, increasing their risk of elimination.