**Official Bangladesh Domestic Cricket**

[Jungle Jumbo]

Cheers Efaz, saved me a load of work there. I'll try and be more prompt in future.

I can't see how Mehrab can continue to open for Bangladesh, especially after recent innings. If he can't score at a strike rate of >60 against poor quality DPL attacks, not to mention Zimbabwe and Scotland, how can he be considered ahead of Tamim, who can win you games?

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

BKSP: Mohammedan (3-1) beat Victoria (2-2) by 57 runs
Mohammedan 283-7 (50)
Junaid Siddique 87 (79b, 15x4), Saqibul Hasan 81 (76b, 5x4, 1x6), Habibul Bashar 39, Tapash Baisya 27* (20b); Rizwan Qureshi 3-48
Victoria 226 (46.4)
Imrul Kayes 94 (118b, 11x4, 1x6), Nasiruddin Faruque 15 (30b), Mahmudullah Riyad 52 (63b), Wascoroni Palash 20; Tapash Baisya 3-48, Aftab Ahmed 3-24

Some fine batting from the young Mohammedan top order set up a comprehensive win against Victoria, somewhat avenging for their defeat to Victoria in the previous round. Junaid and Saqibul slashed 84 together for the fourth wicket off just 13 overs, before useful knocks from Habibul and Tapash took them to a sizeable total. Despite some solid batting from the impressive Kayes, who added 100 with Mahmudullah, Victoria could not sustain the run rate and eventually collapsed some way short of the target.

Fatullah: Sonargaon (4-0) beat Biman (2-2) by 9 runs
Sonargaon 237 (50)
Al Sahariar 60 (80b), Mehrab Hossain Opee 24, S Jayantha 33, Mohammad Ashraful 65 (54b, 12x4, 2x6), Farhad Reza 2-28, Murad Khan 5-54
Biman 228-9 (50)
Mosharraf Hossain 70 (111b), Sanwar Hossain 33, Mushfiqur Rahman 68 (68b, 4x4, 2x6), Sajjad Kadir 22; Marshall Ayub 3-31

At 145-4, Biman appeared to be well in command, but Marshall Ayub then dismissed Mosharraf to produce a collapse and despite Mushfiqur Rahman's heroic efforts, Biman finished short of Sonargaon's average total. Mohammad Ashraful had earlier been at his destructive best to turn a poor score into a defendable one.

Dhanmondi: Young Pegasus (2-2) beat Brothers Union (0-4) by 10 runs
Young Pegasus 238-9 (50)
Lal Mohon 21, Reza Sunny 43, Sharifullah 65; Shafiul Alam 2-21
Brothers Union 228 (49.3)
Hannan Sarkar 45, Imran Ahmed 36, Humayun Kabir 39, Anisur Rahman 26, Fahadullah 35; Lal Mohon 4-24

Brothers' season got even worse with a fourth straight loss against a youthful Pegasus side. No batsman could make a half-century for Brothers as they fell apart to off-spinner Lal Mohon. Sharifullah again impressed with the bat for Pegasus.

 

[Efaz]

Sorry Jumbo, I should have waited little longer yesterday. I thought CricBD was going to skip that round.

Anyway, Junaid Siddique seems to be back in contention for a national team spot. The selectors are watching him in every match and this is the innings, I think, they were looking for.

His fielding is a concern. National team fielding coach Salahuddin is told to work on him.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Sorry Jumbo, I should have waited little longer yesterday. I thought CricBD was going to skip that round.

Anyway, Junaid Siddique seems to be back in contention for a national team spot. The selectors are watching him in every match and this is the innings, I think, they were looking for.

His fielding is a concern. National team fielding coach Salahuddin is told to work on him.

No problem mate, took a bit of work off my back.

Do you think Junaid is in front of Tamim for the Zimbabwe tour or not?

 

[Efaz]

Do you think Junaid is in front of Tamim for the Zimbabwe tour or not?

My guess- he is. From what I saw in the twenty20 final and what I read in match reports, Junaid seems to be a better mix of power and techniques than Tamim is. Also, Junaid has the advantage of having Bashar as his club captain who has a say in the team selection.

However, everything may change in the next round. The match between DOHS and Abahani is coming which will be vital one for Tamim and Mehrab.

 

[Efaz]

I just noticed thatTigerCricket has updated the schedule for DPL.

Next round fixture-

22nd January:
Old DOHS SC Vs Abahani Ltd., Fatullah
City Club Vs Kalabagan KC, BKSP
Brothers Union Vs Indira Road, Dhanmondi

23rd January:
Biman Bangladesh Vs Partex Sporting Club, BKSP
Mohammedan SC Vs Young Pegasus, Fatullah
Sonargaon Cricketers Vs Victoria SC, Mirpur

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

From the New Age:

Chief selector Faruque Ahmed said he was unduly worried by the poor form of some key national cricketers in the Dhaka Premier Cricket League, with the World Cup only 50 days away.
Habibul Bashar, Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed and Mehrab Hossain Jr – the four frontline batsmen of the team – have yet to score a half-century for their respective clubs in four matches.
Shahriar, one of the only five batsmen to have scored over 1,000 runs in one-day cricket in 2006, has been most disappointing as he scored just 68 runs (22, 1, 17 and 28) in four innings for City Club.
Shahriar also disappointed in the Twenty20 competition, held before the League, by making highest 10 runs playing five games.
Shahriar’s opening partner Mehrab started the domestic season for Old DOHS with a bang scoring a half-century in the opening match of the Twenty20 tournament, but lost his way soon as his four innings in the Premier League fetched just 52 runs.
Aftab Ahmed took highest 11 wickets among the national team players in the four Premier League matches, but his batting – his main job – has frustrated the dashing Chittagonian the most. He scored only 56 runs in the four matches with 32 as his highest.
The form of Aftab’s Mohammedan team-mate and national skipper Habibul Bashar also was not very encouraging as he made 78 runs (30, 5, 4 and 39) in four games. The biggest flop among the national players in the League was all-rounder Farhad Reza, who scored just 12 runs (0, 6, 2 and 4).
Among the national batsmen, only Sakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful have got some runs and won matches for their respective sides – Mohammedan and Sonargaon Cricketers.
Ashraful scored a match-wining 65 against Bangladesh Biman on Saturday while Sakib scored an unbeaten 53 and 81 in the last two matches.
‘It is a cause for concern of course but I am not that worried as there are a lot of matches ahead of them to regain form,’ said Faruque.
‘Some of them are establish players of the national side and have proved their worth many times. They have a chance to hit the form at any time,’ he added.
Shahriar, the vice-captain of the national side, echoed the same view saying he needed only one big innings to recoup the form he showed in the international arena last year.
‘I have been playing domestic cricket for the last five years, but never went through such a bad patch. I don’t know why it is happening now, maybe it was because of Twenty20 cricket to which I could not adjust well.’
‘However, I believe the bad patch will not go on much longer. I will return to form
with just one good innings. I am waiting for that moment,’ he said.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Fatullah: Abahani (5-0) beat Old DOHS (3-2) by 34 runs
Abahani 262-8 (50)
Nazimuddin 40 (61b, 2x4, 2x6), Tushar Imran 77 (101b, 5x4, 2x6), Imran Abbas 42 (54b), Mashrafe Mortaza 26 (15), Suhrawadi Shuvo 23 (12b); Shahadat Hossain 2-57, H Fernando 2-39
Old DOHS 228 (46)
Tamim Iqbal 31 (27b), Ehsanul Haque 57 (34b, 11x4), Akram Khan 28, Nadif Chowdhury 35 (42b), Abdur Razzak 24; Mohammad Shahzada 3-63, Suhrawadi Shuvo 3-19, Ziaur Rahman 2-51

At 183-4 in the 34th over, DOHS looked to be cruising home, but Tushar Imran removed Nadif Chowdhury in the middle of a tight spell of off-spin for Suhrawadi Shuvo to run through the lower order. Mehrab Hossain jnr (8) again failed to impress, but Tamim Iqbal began the DOHS innings with another blistering knock. The real fireworks though were reserved for Ehsanul, who destroyed a strong Abahani attack before the wickets began to tumble. Earlier, composed knocks from Tushar, Nazimuddin and Abbas had been the cornerstones for a strong Abahani batting display. They now go top, with similarly unbeaten Sonargaon to play tomorrow. DOHS however continue their slide, having lost in the previous round to Kalabagan.

BKSP: City Club (2-3) beat Kalabagan (2-3) by 16 runs
City Club 238-7 (50)
Shahriar Nafees 25 (42b), Wasim Nayeem 71 (91b, 8x4), Mustafizur Rahman 29, Sajjadul Hasan 57*
Kalabagan 220 (48.4)
Golam Rahman 35, Mabububul Karim 31, Shahbaz Butt 49, Arafat Salahuddin 31; Kamrul Islam 2-33, Zakir Hossain 2-55, Wasim Nayeem 2-36

Fresh from their shock victory over DOHS, Kalabagan folded disappointingly to a City Club side that had lost all three of its previous matches. No batsman could make a half-century as the last four wickets tumbled for just 19 runs. Wasim Nayeem put in a strong all-round display for City Club, with 71 and two wickets.

Dhanmondi: Indira Road (1-4) beat Brothers Union (0-5) by 6 runs
Indira Road 250-6 (50)
Mehdi Hasan 81 (99b), Ashiqur Rahman 37, Mohammad Russell 30, Sumon Barua 45; Tapash Ghosh (??) 3-39
Brothers Union 244-9 (50)
Hannan Sarkar 66 (83b), Lablur Rahman 32 (28b); Tariqul Islam 4-27

Brothers sunk to bottom of the DPL table after previously winless Indira clung on in a tight game. Needing 10 to win off three balls, Brothers could only manage three off Tariqul Islam's left-arm spin, which had already removed two batsmen in the over.

 

[Efaz]

Bowling figures of Abdur Razzak (10-2-61-2) and Shahadat Hossain (10-?-57-2) are looking pretty bad. Should Bangladesh team management be worried ?

Anyway, congrats to Abahani on their big win.

On the otherhand, things are looking very bad for Brothers Union, more so knowing that they are meeting the titans in the next four rounds- Abahani, DOHS, Mohammedan, and Sonargaon in the order.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Mirpur: Victoria (3-2) beat Sonargaon (4-1) by 6 wickets
Sonargaon 83 (24.5)
Wascoroni Ahmed 3-33, Nazmul Hossain Milon 3-12
Victoria 85-4 (26.2)
Imrul Kayes 43 (50b, 5x4, 2x6); S Jayantha 3-3

Sonargaon slumped to a first defeat after being rolled over by the Victoria seamers on a foggy morning in the capital. Mohammad Ashraful, himself victim to a first ball duck, was critical of the pitch rather than his own batsmen. "I think it is unfair to arrange domestic matches on this kind of wicket when the clubs are spending a lot of money. I am not ready to blame my batsmen for the batting debacle." He however did not mention his bizarre decision to bat first.

Fatullah: Mohammedan (4-1) beat Young Pegasus (2-3) by 16 runs
Mohammedan 215 (47.2)
Junaid Siddique 33, Saqibul Hasan 29, Habibul Bashar 37 (75b), Faisal Hossain 47 (58b); Lal Mohon 5-33
Young Pegasus 199 (47.4)
Lal Mohon 27, Sharifullah 27, Saif Mahmud 27, Raisul Islam 41 (50b); Tapash Baisya 4-44

Mohammedan were given a scare by unfancied Pegasus after reducing their opponents to 80-5 in reply to their own 215, built on strong knocks from three national team players and Faisal Hossain's late aggression. Mehrab Hossain jnr failed yet again with the bat.

BKSP: Partex (2-3) beat Biman (2-3) by 5 wickets
Biman 134 (43.3)
Mohammad Azim 3-46, Rezaul Haque 5-17
Partex 138-5 (42.2)
Rajin Saleh 51 (123b), Rashid Hanif 48* (50b)

A brilliant spell of left-arm swing bowling from Rezaul Haque destroyed the Biman top-order as no batsman passed 20 in the first innings. However, Partex lost four players early on for single-figures, before composed knocks from Rajin Saleh and Pakistani import Rashid Hanif saw them home.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

DPL Table (after five rounds)

Pos	Team				Won	Lost
1	Abahani Ltd			5	0
2	Mohammedan SC			4	1
=	Sonargaon Cricketers		4	1
4	Old DOHS SC			3	2
=	Victoria SC			3	2
6	Partex SC			2	3
=	Biman Bangladesh Airlines	2	3
=	Young Pegasus			2	3
=	City Club			2	3
=	Kalabagan KC			2	3
11	Indira Road KC			1	4
12	Brothers Union			0	5

The DPL is certainly more exciting this year, with much more competition for places. Last year Indira, Agrani and Orient were all dire, whereas the promoted teams this year are faring much better. What's happened to Brothers though? I would have put them down as outsiders to sneak a Super Six place before the League began.

It's a straight fight between the top three and DOHS as I see it.

 

[Efaz]

Ashraful's excuse to bat first on Mirpur was couple of his teammates told him that batting gets even more difficult during second innings on Mirpur (I wonder how they got that idea). Incompetent captaincy indeed.

Good to see Rezaul Haque (Partex) is showing a rich vein of form lately (somehow match reports of earlier rounds mentioned him as Rezaul Islam).

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Ashraful's excuse to bat first on Mirpur was couple of his teammates told him that batting gets even more difficult during second innings on Mirpur (I wonder how they got that idea). Incompetent captaincy indeed.

Good to see Rezaul Haque (Partex) is showing a rich vein of form lately (somehow match reports of earlier rounds mentioned him as Rezaul Islam).

In the earlier rounds, teams were routinely being put in and being bowled out for nothing. Shows his inexperience still.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

From the New Age:

The Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Stadium has turned into a minefield during the course of the Dhaka Premier Cricket League. So far, no team has managed to make 200 runs in five matches at the new home of Bangladesh cricket
It was evident again on Tuesday when star-studded Sonargaon Cricketers were all out for only 83 against Victoria, who too lost four wickets while chasing the tiny target.
A few days earlier, Mohammedan Sporting Club were all out 94 after being asked to chase 156 against Bangladesh Biman.
Traditional rivals Abahani also endured a torrid time during a recent Twenty20 game when they were all out for 72, although at that time it was considered as an accident. But going by the recent state of affairs, the newest venue has become a graveyard for the clubs.
The panic reached such a level that both Abahani and Mohammedan have informally requested the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis to shift the venue elsewhere from Shere-e-Bangla, which is scheduled to host their derby on January 28.
‘The CCDM should not host any Premier Cricket League matches on these types of wickets because it deceives the clubs, who spent a lot of money to make their team,’ Sonargaon captain Mohammad Ashraful opined after being shot out for 83.
Curator Badiul Alam, however, defended the wicket saying that it kept low only because the surface was relatively new and did not host enough matches yet.
‘Compared to the others, wicket number seven, which hosted today’s (Tuesday) match, is new and yet to host enough matches. Perhaps, this was the reason for balls keeping unexpectedly low,’ Alam told reporters.
Chief selector Faruque Ahmed went one step further saying that the batsmen should not make excuses for their failure.
‘We have to be ready to play on all kinds of wickets since it will help us to prepare for matches outside the country,’ said Faruque.
The CCDM has so far used four pitches for the Premier Cricket League that all have kept low raising fears that it could be fatal once Bangladesh will host India for a Test and one-day series in May.
The BCB officials dismissed the idea saying that they have preserved two pitches for the international matches and won’t allow the CCDM to host any domestic matches there.

From The Daily Star:

Sonargaon Cricketers tasted their first defeat in the Kai-Altech Premier Cricket League when they crashed to Victoria Sporting Club by six wickets in a low-scoring match at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

The match lasted one session with last year's runners-up Sonargaon, after four wins in a row, were shot out for 83 in 24.5 overs. Victoria overhauled the target in 26.2 overs losing four wickets, the win paving Abahani's way to enjoy solo lead in the table with an all-win record after five rounds.

Pacemen Waskuruni Ahmed and Nazmul Hossain Milon exploited the condition most by sharing six wickets between them to tear apart the star-studded Sonargaon batting line-up that included the likes of Al-Shahriar, Alok Kapali and Mohammad Ashraful.

Left-handed opener Imrul Kayes then smashed a 50-ball 43 with help of five boundaries and two sixes to take Victoria safely to 85-4 for their third victory.

The outcome of the match, however, raised questions whether the newly prepared pitch is the reason behind several low-scoring affairs at cricket's new home or should the batsmen be blamed for failing to adopt to the situation.

"I think it is unfair to arrange domestic matches on this kind of wicket when the clubs are spending a lot of money. I am not ready to blame my batsmen for the batting debacle," said Sonargaon captain and ace Bangladesh batsman Mohammad Ashraful, who was dismissed for a golden duck. He, however, did not justify his decision to bat first on a foggy morning.

Chief selector Faruque Ahmed, who watched the match his colleagues of the selection panel including coach Dav Whatmore, also believes that there is 'food for thought' for the organisers about the behaviour of the wicket.

"I think the pitch should be a concern when all the matches played here have been low-scoring. I think the authority can offer a delayed start to avoid the early morning fog, which actually played a big part in the game," Faruque observed.

"It is not easy to bat on such kind of low-bounce pitch, especially early in the morning but the basic thing is that it's a newly laid pitch and it will take some time to get better."

The venue has already hosted international matches but the authority has been using new pitches for the Premiership matches with 177 being the highest score so far, made by Mohammedan against Victoria.

Curator Badiul Alam was not ready to accept that the pitches are to blame.

"It was just the second match played at this pitch. I agree that there was low bounce but no way unplayable. The batsmen should adopt. Most of them were caught behind while chasing deliveries outside the off-stump," Alam commented.

"We have to arrange matches on new pitches if we want to fully develop one. I think it would be ultimately helpful for the batsmen if they consistently played here."

But the big question is whether it would be wise to arrange a big match like Abahani-Moha-mmedan here and risk another frustrating show whatever explanation the experts offer. The traditional foes are set to clash on January 28.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

BKSP: Old DOHS (4-2) beat City Club (2-4) by 4 wickets
City Club 275-9 (50)
Shahriar Nafees 132 (130b, 23x4); Shahadat Hossain 3-60, Enamul Haque jnr 3-34
Old DOHS 276-6 (49.1)
Tamim Iqbal 60 (60b), Mehrab Hossain jnr 132 (160b, 12x4), Akram Khan 35 (28b); Tareq Aziz 4-48

Suffering from a recent drought of runs, Shahriar Nafees and Mehrab Hossain both smashed scores of 132 at the BKSP, but it was Mehrab who came out victorious after DOHS completed a well-paced chase of 276. Tamim Iqbal blazed a run-a-ball 60 on the day he was called up to the national squad, while Shahriar fell in the penultimate over, holding the innings together in the absence of any real support. DOHS move joint second, with Mohammedan and Sonargaon to play tomorrow.

Fatullah: Abahani (6-0) beat Brothers Union (0-6) by 8 wickets
Brothers Union 168 (47)
Shahriar Hossain 83 (5x4, 3x6), Imran Ahmed 27; Talha Jubair 5-30
Abahani 172-2 (42.2)
Jahurul Islam 54, Naeem Islam 43, S Fernando 41*

Abahani, boosted by the return of wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud, maintained their unbeaten record by thrashing winless Brothers Union. Talha Jubair ran through a struggling batting lineup, which were held afloat by former national team batsman Shahriar Hossain. On his DPL debut, Sri Lankan all-rounder Sujith Fernando picked up a wicket and later made an unbeaten 41.

Mirpur: Biman (3-3) beat Kalabagan (2-4) by 6 wickets
Kalabagan 115 (48.2)
Rezaul Karim 37; Syed Rasel 3-19
Biman 116-4 (34.2)
Mushfiqur Rahman 47* (6x4), Sanwar Hossain 29*

Dropped from the national squad earlier in the day, Syed Rasel and Farhad Reza (2-21) proved too much for Kalabagan on yet another poor surface. Despite losing early wickets, the experienced heads of Mushfiqur Rahman and Shahriar Hossain saw Biman home.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Fatullah: Sonargaon (5-1) beat Young Pegasus (2-4) by 8 wickets
Young Pegasus 181 (50)
Sharifullah 39, Saif Mahmud 59 (98b); Mahbubul Alam 2-34, Ashiqur Rahman 2-26
Sonargaon 183-2 (40.3)
Al Sahariar 91 (135b, 12x4), Mehrab Hossain Opee 69 (95b, 8x4, 1x6)

Sonargaon cruised to an easy victory via an opening stand of 172 between Al Sahariar and Mehrab Hossain after the Pegasus top order caved in to Mahbubul and Ashiqur. Mohammad Sharif, called up yesterday to the Bangladesh squad for the Zimbabwe tour, was absent from the Sonargaon side due to a cold.

BKSP: Mohammedan (5-1) beat Indira Road (1-5) by 96 runs
Mohammedan 276-9 (50)
Junaid Siddique 32, Aftab Ahmed 28 (28b, 3x4, 2x6), Saqibul Hasan 40, Faisal Hossain 67 (74b, 6x4), Saghir Hossain 41; Ariful Islam 2-50, Mohammad Anis 2-63, Tariqul Islam 3-55
Indira Road 180 (44.5)
Ashiqur Rahman 56 (110b), Mohammad Anis 40; Manjurul Islam 3-20, Hasibul Hossain 4-44, Arafat Sunny 2-35

A clinical performance from Mohammedan meant that they remained equal second with Sonargaon and kept up the pace on unbeaten Abahani. Aftab Ahmed, captaining in place of Habibul Bashar, who was ill with a stomach bug, smote a run-a-ball 28 to set the tone early on, as the in-form Saqibul Hasan and Faisal Hossain cashed in. In reply, only Ashiqur and Anis could muster any real for Indira as they were rolled over with five overs to spare.

Dhanmondi: Victoria (4-2) beat Partex (2-4) by 14 runs
Victoria 295-9 (50)
Mahmudullah Riyad 48, Jaffar Qureshi 79 (68b, 1x4, 9x6), Nazmul Hossain Milon 47 (22b, 5x4, 2x6); Dipajjal Day 2-46, Mohammad Azim 2-43, Niamur Rashid 3-65
Partex 281 (48.3)
Mohammad Aslam 34, Rafiqul Islam 60 (61b), Rashid Hanif 97 (77b); Wascoroni Palash 3-46, Shabbir Khan 3-44, Jaffar Qureshi 3-66

In a high scoring thriller, Pakistani Rashid Hanif's fireworks from the Partex middle order could not steal victory from Victoria and Jaffar Qureshi, who had earlier smashed an incredible nine sixes to set up a huge Victoria total.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

From the Daily Star:

Top-of-the-table Abahani look forward to cement their position in the Premier Cricket League when they clash perennial foes archrivals and joint-second Mohammedan Sporting Club in the seventh round on Sunday.

Still undefeated, Abahani will also want to take revenge of defeat at the hands of Mohammedan in their first meeting of the season in the Twenty20 League.

Different corners, however, criticised the league committee for not switching the match from the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, where new pitches have affected scoring runs.

Mohammedan hold the record of scoring league's highest -- 177 -- at the venue where Abahani have played just one match.

Ex-Bangladesh captain and Abahani coach Aminul Islam also raised questions about holding what is billed to be the most attractive game.

"I am worried about the wicket because batting would be difficult here. I can't think why the league committee has decided to hold a big match like Abahan-Mohammedan at this ground," Aminul questioned.

The two captains, however, did not bother about conditions.

"I am not concerned about the wicket. Its relatively new so it would be hard to score runs," said Habibul Bashar whose Mohammedan have suffered their only league defeat, to Biman, at this venue.

"It is an important match for us because if we lose, Abahani will open up a big lead in the table. I think our strengths are almost equal but Abahani have a very strong bowling and have won all their matches so far. So it would be a tight game," said Bashar, who missed the last game through a stomach upset and would not return before the Super League.

It would be the last match for all national cricketers as they leave Dhaka for the Zimbabwe tour on January 31 and begin World Cup preparations after their return.

With Sandeep Sharma gone back to India after playing just one match, Mohammedan will be without any foreign player. On the other hand, Abahani's bid to field Manzarul Rana failed as the all-rounder did not pass a fitness test. The Dhanmondi boys will also miss injured opener Nazmus Sadat for the fifth consecutive game.

Khaled Mashud's presence after he returned from injury in the previous match would be a boost but the Abahani captain is yet to be fit enough to stand behind the stumps.

"It would be 50-50 like any Abahani-Mohammedan match and team strength really does not matter," stated Mashud who thinks that restricting Mohammedan's explosive top-order featuring Junaid and Aftab would be the key to success.

Talking about their season's first meet, Mashud said that result of the Twenty20 match is insignificant.

"It’s a new game and they have a good team. Our plus point is that we have been playing well. No team have scored more than 250 against us because of our bowling strength.

"It will be our second match at Mirpur so we will have a look at the wicket tomorrow before deciding the line-up," he said when asked whether Talha Jubair's five-wicket haul in his first league match three days ago made any selection headache for him.

Abahani's three-prong pace attack -- Mashrafee-Zia-Shahjada -- has already made the difference but they had to give the ball to Talha as Mashrafee was rested from bowling in the last game in request of the national team management.

Abahani will field Sri Lankan allrounder Sujith Fernando in their foreign quota.

In other matches, third-placed DOHS meet bottom-table Brothers Union at BKSP while Bangladesh Biman face City Club at Fatullah Stadium in a mid-table battle.

From the New Age:

Clash of the titans today
Staff Correspondent
Table-toppers Abahani Limited will take on arch-rivals Mohammedan in a crucial match of the Kai-Altech Premier Cricket League at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today. Toss will be a vital factor as the number six pitch has plenty of grass and it looked to favour the new ball operators in the opening hour.
Abahani skipper Khaled Mashud is all set to play the match after recovering from his thumb injury but he will not be standing behind the wickets. Mashud was in the Mohammedan tent last year but it has become a past episode for him. ‘We are determined to continue our winning spree, we admit Mohammedan are a strong opposition but we will put in our best in the important match,’ said the Abahani skipper.
Mohammedan skipper Habibul Bashar is firmly focused on the match. ‘We don’t have any options but a victory, we believe we can achieve that, my boys are ready to face the challenge,’ said Bashar.
Abahani dominate the league table with all-win record earning full 12 points from six matches while Mohammedan and Sonargaon Cricketers are second on 10 points each.
Holders Old DOHS will play against Brothers Union at the BKSP while Biman will face City Club at Fatullah in the two other matches of the day.

Points table
Teams M W L Pts
Abahani 6 6 0 12
Sonargaon 6 5 1 10
Mohammedan 6 5 1 10
Old DOHS 6 4 2 8
Victoria 6 4 2 8
Biman 6 3 3 6
City Club 6 2 4 4
Kalabagan KC 6 2 4 4
Partex SC 6 2 4 4
Young Pegasus 6 2 4 4
Indira Road KC 6 1 5 2
Brothers Union 6 0 6 0

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Mirpur: Abahani (7-0) beat Mohammedan (5-2) by 79 runs
Abahani 231-8 (50)
Nazimuddin 62 (99b, 4x4, 1x6), Tushar Imran 28, S Fernando 45 (35b, 3x4, 3x6), Suhrawadi Shuvo 31* (28b); Manjurul Islam 3-31, Aftab Ahmed 2-38
Mohammedan 152 (41.5)
Arafat Sunny 56*; Mashrafe Mortaza 5-24, Ziaur Rahman 2-36, Mohammad Shahzada 2-19

Mashrafe Mortaza ripped through Mohammedan on another difficult Mirpur wicket to preserve Abahani's unbeaten record. The national pace bowler, who had not bowled in the previous game, removed Imtiaz Hossain first ball and went on to take 5-24 in seven overs, receiving useful support from Ziaur and Shahzada. Mohammedan could have been faced with an even more humiliating thrashing as they were reduced to 89-9 before Arafat Sunny spared their blushes. Earlier Nazimuddin had made an astute half-century in testing conditions and Sri Lankan Sujith Fernando had battered a rapid 45 as Abahani put together a more than competitive total.

Fatullah: Biman (4-3) beat City Club (2-5) by 3 wickets
City Club 226-6 (50)
Gazi Salahuddin 36, Shahriar Nafees 64 (7x4), Mustafizur Rahman 44, Sajjadul Hasan 25*; Farhad Reza 2-32, Murad Khan 2-36
Biman 227-7 (48.5)
Javed Omar 103 (134b), Zahoor Elahi 48; Kamrul Islam 2-13, Wasim Nayeem 2-42

A solid hundred from Javed Omar, plus a stand of 104 with Zahoor Elahi, set up a crucial victory for Biman.

BKSP: Old DOHS (5-2) beat Brothers Union (0-7) by 6 wickets
Brothers Union 146 (45.5)
Imran Ahmed 40; Dollar Mahmud 2-28, Mehrab Hossain jnr 3-16
Old DOHS 152-4 (30.1)
Ehsanul Haque 45*

Brothers' misery continued as they were thumped by DOHS at the BKSP. Chasing a tiny target of 147, DOHS cruised home thanks to Ehsanul Haque and Akram Khan (22*).

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Dhanmondi: Sonargaon (6-1) beat Indira Road (1-6) by 9 wickets
Indira Road 195-9 (50)
Sumon Barua 51 (77b); Ashiqur Rahman 3-32, Obaidul Haque 3-24
Sonargaon 196-1 (35.1)
Mehrab Hossain 71* (94b, 9x4), S Jayantha 100* (98b, 7x4, 5x6)

Sri Lankan Saman Jayantha smashed a 98-ball ton as Sonargaon romped to a nine-wicket win over Indira. Sumon Barua again impressed with the bat for the minnows, but his fifty alone could not propel his team to a defendable total against a rampant Sonargaon. Mehrab and Jayantha put on 161 together after Al Sahariar fell for 16.

BKSP: Victoria (5-2) beat Kalabagan (2-5) by 83 runs
Victoria 262-6 (50)
Nasiruddin Faruque 61 (94b, 4x4), Mahmudullah Riyad 68 (56b, 8x4, 1x6), Hasanuzzaman 41* (38b, 2x6)
Kalabagan 179 (46.2)
Mahbubul Karim 108 (118b, 9x4, 3x6); Mahmudullah Riad 4-26, Shabbir Khan 2-30

Mahbubul Karim stood alone for Kalabagan, making 108 when the next highest score was just 19. Earlier a composed knock from Nasiruddin gave Victoria a solid platform before more brutal knocks from Mahmudullah and Hasanuzzaman propelled them to a large total.

Fatullah: Young Pegasus (3-4) beat Partex (2-5) by 2 wickets
Partex 240-7 (50)
Rajin Saleh 112* (168b, 12x4, 1x6); Delwar Hossain 3-46
Young Pegasus 244-8 (49.4)
Maruf Reza 42, Sharifullah 62, Raisul Islam 46, Saif Mahmud 29; Dipajjal Day 3-34

In a thrilling game in Fatullah, Pegasus rescued a situation that looked lost at 38-3 to sneak home in the final over, despite national opener Rajin Saleh's solid century earlier in the day.

 

[Perm]

Well played Rajin.