Bogura turns up as Akbar, Afif tons headline BCL’s opening day

The Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) began in style on Monday, with two centuries lighting up the opening day and an unusually vibrant crowd filling the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogura for the North Zone–East Zone clash. 

Initially, two galleries were opened for spectators but as the crowd swelled, a third gallery had to be made accessible -- a rare sight for a domestic fixture. 

North Zone’s Akbar Ali ensured the fans were not left disappointed. The wicketkeeper-batter struck his maiden List A century, hammering 111 off 87 balls in a high-scoring contest. 

After being put in to bat, North Zone made a steady start. Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Najmul Hossain Shanto added 82 runs for the third wicket. Tanzid made a brisk 54 off 44 deliveries before departing, while Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy fell in quick succession, leaving North Zone at 118 for four in the 20th over. 

From there, Akbar took control. He shared a 120-run partnership off 114 balls with Shanto to steady the innings. Shanto contributed 68 off 87 balls before Hasan Mahmud dismissed him in the 39th over. Akbar, however, continued to dominate and carried the innings deep. 

Late cameos from Abdul Gaffar Saqlain (17 off 10) and Shoriful Islam (20 off 12) propelled North Zone to 335 all out. Khaled Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers with four for 52, while Hasan finished with two for 55. 

East Zone’s reply never quite gathered momentum. Mominul Haque top-scored with an 82-ball 83, but regular wickets hampered the chase of 336. Yasir Ali made 42, while Nayeem Hasan remained unbeaten on 50. Rishad Hossain’s four-wicket haul ensured East Zone were bowled out for 281.

In the other match, South Zone cruised to a dominant seven-wicket victory over Central Zone at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium, powered by Afif Hossain’s unbeaten century. 

Central Zone posted 264 for seven, with Mohammad Naim, Mahfijul Islam and Mahidul Islam Ankon all scoring fifties. Mustafizur Rahman and Mehidy Hasan Miraz went wicketless, while Soumya Sarkar claimed two for 57 in eight overs for South Zone. 

Though Soumya fell for a duck in the chase, Anisul Islam (43) and Zawad Abrar (40) provided a solid platform. Afif then anchored the innings with an unbeaten 100 off 86 balls, while Mohammad Mithun remained not out on 75 as South Zone sealed victory with 27 balls to spare.