Dhaka Crumble as Barisal Dominates

Barisal Division secured their second victory of the National Cricket League at Cox’s Bazar International Stadium, defeating Dhaka Division by six wickets under the captaincy of Tanvir Islam.

In Dhaka’s second innings, Tanvir’s left-arm spin wreaked havoc, taking 7 wickets for just 64 runs, leaving Dhaka all out for 169. Barisal were set a modest target of 102 runs and achieved it comfortably, losing only four wickets.

Opening batsman Iftikhar Hossain remained unbeaten on 57, helping Barisal reach their target. Earlier, he scored 78 runs in the first innings and achieved the 1,000-run milestone in this match.

Tanvir Islam was rightly awarded Man of the Match for his match-winning bowling display. On the final day, Dhaka resumed on 124/5 and added only 45 runs in 22.2 overs. Tanvir, who had taken 2 wickets the previous day, claimed the remaining five wickets to complete his seven-wicket haul.

This marks Tanvir’s eighth five-wicket haul in 46 first-class matches and his second-best bowling performance, with his career-best being 8/51 for Bangladesh Emerging against Ireland Wolves in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Khulna–Mymensingh match ended in a draw. Mymensingh declared their first innings at 459/8, taking a lead of 72 runs. Khulna reached 140/5 in their second innings before both teams agreed to the draw.

Al Amin Junior shone for Mymensingh, scoring an unbeaten 102, marking his first century in seven seasons and his fourth first-class century overall. This innings also took him past the 3,000-run mark in first-class cricket, playing his 70th match in this format.

The eighth-wicket partnership between Al Amin and Arif Ahmed yielded 81 runs, while Khulna opener Soumya Sarkar contributed 44 runs in the second innings after scoring 186 in the first.

Barisal’s victory boosts team morale, while Al Amin’s century offers hope for upcoming matches and further strengthens Mymensingh’s batting line-up.