|| Desk Report ||

Ashraful has finally been able to make his mark in the longer version, as he scored an unbeaten century on the first day of the Bangladesh Cricket League-clash between East Zone and North Zone.

The right-hander was ignored by the franchises until they were forced to recruit new players with the national team’s matches and the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup going on. Starting with a duck in his first BCL innings this season, Ashraful made 64 crucial runs in the second innings of the third round, before belting the hundred in the fourth round.

North Zone started well, with Imran Ali removing opener Sadiqur Rahman for a duck. Mominul Haque and Mahmudul Hasan then made 20-odd runs each, before Ashraful and Rony Talukder put together an unbroken partnership of 241 runs.

Ashraful finished day one’s play on 107 not-out and Rony is just 17 runs away from a double-ton.

Imran Ali, Sohag Gazi, and Sunzamul Islam took a wicket each for North Zone on a rather disappointing day for the bowlers.

East Zone already have 354 runs with seven wickets in hand and that will indeed be enough to add the North Zone bowlers’ miseries on the second day.