Soumya Sarkar leads Prime Bank to title win
Round-up of the Dhaka Premier Division matches played on January 4, 2015
ESPNcricinfo staff
04-Jan-2015
File photo - Soumya Sarkar led Prime Bank Cricket Club to the Dhaka Premier Division title the same day he was picked in the Bangladesh squad for the World Cup • BCB
Prime Bank Cricket Club clinched their maiden Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League title after beating Abahani by nine wickets. They have become the eighth club to win the league, the country's most popular domestic competition.
Prime Bank were already holding a two-point advantage over Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club before the final round of Super League matches, but they still needed a win in Mirpur on Sunday to confirm the championship. After the first phase had ended, this encounter was touted to be the virtual final after both Abahani and Prime Bank were chasing each other at the top of the points table. But after Abahani's one-wicket loss to Kalabagan Krira Chakra in the last round of matches, they were out of the race altogether.
Prime Bank's path in this game was made even smoother when Abahani were bowled out for 160 runs in 44.2 overs. Nasir Hossain made 55 but it was Farhad Reza's 4 for 17 in 9.2 overs that did all the damages.
Soumya Sarkar, who took two wickets, then made 97 off 91 balls with seven fours and as many sixes to seal Prime Bank's chase. They won with 22.3 overs to spare, with Saikat Ali making 58 not out and the opening pair added 155 runs for the first wicket.
Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club finished second in the competition with a three-wicket win over Mohammedan Sporting Club at BKSP-3.
Batting first, Mohammedan made 220 for 9 in 50 overs with Mohammad Mithun top-scoring with 45. Shafiul Islam and Asif Ahmed took three wickets each.
The Doleshwar openers, Rony Talukdar and Mehedi Maruf, once again gave them a good start, adding 117 runs in 22 overs. Maruf struck six fours and a six in his 82-ball 58 while Talukdar's 63 came off just 61 balls with five fours and two sixes.
They stuttered slightly before reaching the 221-run target in 48.5 overs. Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistan captain, took two wickets for Mohammedan, who finished in sixth position.
In the day's third match, Anamul Haque's 150 helped Kalabagan Cricket Academyto a 38-run win over Legends of Rupganj in Fatullah.
Anamul struck seven fours and ten sixes in his 146-ball knock as KCA made 288 for 3 in 50 overs. Apart from Anamul, Nafees Iqbal made 52 while Imtiaz Hossain struck 42.
In reply, Rupganj were restricted to 250 for 6 in 50 overs as Junaid Siddique top-scored with 50, and all their batsmen, who were dismissed, reached double figures. Bishawnath Haldar took two wickets.