North Zone seal BCL silverware

|| CF DESK ||

BCB North Zone won the 10th Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) trophy today with a thrilling three-run victory over BCB South Zone at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) organized the one-day BCL to help players prepare for the upcoming three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against India. The BCL is widely regarded as the country's premier first-class tournament.

North Zone batted first and put up a fighting 244-8 before their bowlers held their nerve in the heat of battle to restrict South Zone to 241-9.

South Zone required 10 runs in the final over and were expected to easily surpass the target with Nasir Hossain in sublime form.

But he was trapped and run out, giving North Zone a chance to strike back. North Zone, on the other hand, seized the opportunity with both hands and made no mistake in winning the game.

South Zone's top scorer was Nasir Hossain with 61 runs, but they got a whirlwind performance from opener Anamul Haque Bijoy, who blasted 59 to keep the side ahead.

North Zone clawed back into the game, leaving South Zone at 127-6, thanks to Rokbul Hasan's 4-29 in 10 overs.

As the North Zone looked to finish the game in emphatic style, Nasir made a huge resistance and took the game to the last over but at the end, it was North Zone which laughed the last.

Earlier, North Zone was dealt a blow when in-form opener Litton Das was dismissed for 1. However, they recovered from a shaky start thanks to Fazle Rabbi's 65 points.

Young Akbar Ali added 44 points, while veteran Mahmudullah Riyad added 39. Shamim Patwari added 37 points to his tally.

South Zone's most successful bowler was pacer Shoriful Islam, who took 3-45, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz took 2-31.

Four teams competed in the tournament, with South Zone advancing to the final after winning all three matches. North Zone, which had only lost to South Zone in the group stage, exacted sweet vengeance by winning the prestigious trophy. The other two teams in the tournament were Islami Bank East Zone and BCB Central Zone.

Brief score

BCB North Zone: 244-8 in 50 overs (Liton 1, Shahadat Dipu 4, Shykat Ali 22, Fazle Rabi 65, Mahmudullah 39, Akbar Ali 44, Shamim 37, Saifuddin 9*, Rokibul 6, Ripon 7*; Shariful 10-1-45-3, Kamrul Rabi 7-0-52-1, Miraj 10-2-31-2, Nasum 10-1-45-0, Nasir 9-0-41-1, Ziaur 4-0 -26-0)

BCB South Zone: 241-9 in 50 overs (Naim Sheikh 11, Anamul Bijoy 59, Zakir 42, Naeem Islam 0, Nasir 61, Tauhid 0, Miraz 0, Ziaur 0, Nasum 38, Kamrul Rabi 11*, Shoriful 0*, Saif uddin 10 -1-40-1, Shafiqul 10-0-67-0, 10-3-30-1, Rokibul 10-1-29-4, Shamim 1-0-10-0, Saikat 1-0-11-0 , Mahmudullah 7-0-37-0, Fazle Rabi 1-0-10-0)