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Afif Hossain’s maiden List A century saw Abahani Limited beat Prime Bank Cricket Club by 42 runs and move one step closer to the Dhaka Premier League 2023 title as they are now two points clear at the top with three matches to go.
Abahani have 24 points in 13 matches, two more than second-place Sheikh Jamal, who also found a win against Mohammedan SC.
Batting first at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Narayanganj, Abahani had a good start as openers Anamul Haque (31) and Mohammad Naim (26) added 55 runs for the opening wicket.
However, the partnership that built their innings was between Afif and skipper Mosaddek Hossain as the duo added 140 runs for the fourth wicket.
Afif, in his 106th List A match, finally managed to reach triple figures off 97 balls and stayed unbeaten on 111 off 101 balls, an innings where he hit six fours and five sixes. Mosaddek scored 67 off 76 balls.
The unbeaten century from the left-handed batter saw Abahani post 285-5 and in reply, despite losing last match’s centurion Shahadat Hossain (5) early, Prime Bank were in a good position as Zakir Hasan (51) was scoring quickly with Prantik Nawrose Nabil supporting him (57).
However, no other batter in the Prime Bank lineup managed to score big to chase down 286, leading to them being bowled out for 243.
Pakistani left-arm spinner starred with the ball to take six wickets but Afif took home the Player of the Match award.
Sk Jamal find win
Sheikh Jamal DC bounced back from a defeat in their first Super League match as they defeated Mohammedan SC by 85 runs.
Batting first, Sheikh Jamal started slowly but following rain interference, which led to three overs being cut, they picked up the pace and ended on 259-4 after 47 overs.
Fazle Mahmud scored an unbeaten 93 off 86 balls, while skipper Nurul Hasan Sohan scored 70 off 60 balls.
The target for Mohammedan was revised to 277 in 47 overs but none of their batters managed a fifty, and almost none of them showed the necessary intent to chase down the total as their highest scorer was Mahmudullah Riyad with 40, an innings that took up 62 balls.
Ariful Haque scored 32 runs off 13 balls but it was too little too late as the Black and Whites were bowled out for 191.
Taibur Rahman picked up four wickets for Sheikh Jamal while Arif Ahmed took three.
Leopards relegated
Dhaka Leopards, who were up to the DPL this season, were relegated to the second division following their five-wicket defeat to Shinepukur Cricket Club.
Batting first, Leopards were bowled out for 197 in the rain-affected match as only Sabbir Hossen Shikder managed a good score in 69.
Chasing 204, the revised target due to the rain, Shinepukur eased to the win with five wickets and 9.4 overs in hand as Jishan Alam (60) and Dimuth Karunaratne (70) set the base for them.
Shinepukur will now face Agrani Bank in the final game of the Relegation League on Sunday, and only a big win can keep them up for the next season.
