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DHAKA, KHULNA POST 2ND WINS

Azam ton not enough

SPORTS REPORTER
Azam Iqbal hit the first century in the one-day version of the Sixth National Cricket League but that was not enough for holders Chittagong to avoid a second successive defeat as the second round began at different venues across the country yesterday.
Azam struck an unbeaten 123 as Chittagong amassed a challenging 250-5 in the stipulated 50 overs at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium. But Sylhet toppled the target with two balls to spare thanks to halfcenturies by Ejaz Ahmed (58) and Tapash Baisya (53).
While Chittagong tumbled at their own den, Dhaka led by their captain Khaled Mahmud pulled off an exciting eight-run victory over Barisal at the Bangabandhu
National Stadium.
It was Dhaka's second consecutive victory and they now share top spot with Khulna, who handed Rajshahi a three-wicket defeat at the Khulna Divisional Stadium.
SYLHET V CHITTAGONG Azam celebrated his return to his favourite position when the Chittagong opener hit an unbeaten 149-ball 123. However, his brilliant hundred was undone by some spectacular catch up cricket by the Sylhet lower-order.
After a disappointing first round in Dhaka, where they lost by nine wickets, Sylhet appeared heading for another disaster when they lost half their wickets with only 89 runs on the board.
But national paceman Tapas Baisya swung the game Sylhet's way with some lusty hitting in his 36-ball 53. The right-hander smote three sixes and four boundaries in his blazing knock. Ejaz also joined the party with half a dozen bound-
aries as Sylhet reached 251-8 in 49.2 overs.
Earlier, Azam carried his bat and along they he struck six fours and two sixes. Chittagong captain Akram Khan was the second best scorer with 32 off 49 balls.
DHAKA V BARISAL
Mahmud, who struck his maiden first-class hundred against Sylhet in the previous round, carried his form to the abridged version with a combative 78 as Dhaka recovered from a nervy start to post 218-7.
But the total looked too small for comfort after Barisal started the chase brilliantly with discarded national opener Hannan Sarker (55 off 63 balls), Sakib Chowdhury (39 off 42 balls) and left-handed Nahidul Haq (40 off 73 balls) providing the platform.
Number six batsman Arafat Salahuddin then scored a fine 50 as Barisal went into the final over needing nine runs for victory with SEE PAGE 14 COL 2 FROM PAGE 13
three more wickets in hand.
But left-arm paceman Ashraful Haq, bowling the final over, turned the game on its head claiming the final three wickets off the first four
deliveries without conceding a run.
Ashraful, who was the hero of Dhaka's nine-wicket victory in the first game against Sylhet with a four-wicket haul, first had Ishraq
Sonnet caught at mid-on by Neeyamur Rashid with his first delivery before clean bowling Salahuddin with the third ball. Number eleven Tariqul Islam swung the fourth ball but only managed to spoon it to short midwicket, where Halim Shah took the catch.
Ashraful's late act earned him back-to-back man-of-the-match awards.
Earlier, Mahmud and Mehrab Hossain Jr. steadied the Dhaka innings with an 88-run stand for the fourth wicket after they were reduced to 44-3.
Mahmud struck eight fours in his 98-ball knock while lefthanded Mehrab hit seven boundaries in his 92-ball 58. Neeyamur provided the late fireworks with a 27-ball 33.
KHULNA V RAJSHAHI
Rajshahi also put up the same total as Dhaka did but Khulna were no Barisal as they successfully chased the target with two balls to spare and with three wickets in hand.
The hosts rode on a 102-run second wicket stand between Nazmus Sadat (50 off 93 balls) and Shafiul Alam (44 off 78 balls) for their second successive victory despite a middle-order hiccup, which saw them tumble to 106 for six. But wicketkeeper Salim (40) and Asadullah (44) then produced 84 runs for the sixth wicket to bail them out.
Bangladesh and Khulna skipper Habibul Bashar, making his first National League appearance, scored a three-ball duck.