Rangpur Division were crowned champions of the 2025–26 National Cricket League after Sylhet Division were held to a draw on the final day of their seventh and final-round match against Barishal Division.

Runs flowed at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur as Dhaka Division’s Anisur Islam Emon and Marshall Ayub struck centuries, helping their side pile up 356-2 against Chattogram Division on the opening day of the final-round match of the National Cricket League (NCL) on Saturday.

The 36-year-old, who played just three Tests for Bangladesh between 2013 and 2014, never received a second opportunity despite consistently performing in domestic cricket.

It was an eventful start to the fifth round of National Cricket League matches across different venues on Saturday. Soumya Sarkar notched up his career-best first-class score, domestic veteran Marshall Ayub etched his name into the 10,000-run club, and Shuvagata Hom matched Shakib Al Hasan in rare feat.  

In Khulna, the day was overshadowed by Barishal’s Fazle Mahmud, who suffered a heatstroke in the 19th over and was stretchered off.

Marshall struck 127 off 199 balls -- his 25th first-class ton -- while Aich made a 250-ball 122 on way to his maiden first-class hundred to help Dhaka Metro declare their first innings at 408-5, having resumed at 102-1.

Performance in every profession is the major aspect in determining the quality of an individual and when it comes to sport,