Sports Reporter

High-flying Abahani Limited suffered their first defeat in seven games when they lost to Prime Bank Cricket Club by nine

runs in a tightly contested Dhaka Premier League (DPL) encounter at the BKSP-3 ground in Savaryesterday.

Chasing 247, Abahani finished on 237 for nine in 50 overs as Prime Bank registered their third win in seven games.

Abahani did manage to recover from the early damage as opener Saif Hasan and skipper Nasir Hossain added 127 for the fourth wicket after struggling on 17 for three inside six overs.

However, after Saif was run out on a team high 124-ball 75, featuring five fours and a six, and Nasir departed as well on 67 runs off 88 balls, Abahani lost the plot. Abahani required 47 runs in the last five overs and Tigers ODI skipper Mahsrafe Bin Mortaza, who picked up four wickets earlier in the game, tried to oblige by adding 22 but that was not enough to evade defeat.

Pacer Shariftil Islam scalped four wickets while Delwar Hossain took two for Prime Bank.

Earlier, Prime Bank were all-out on 246 in 49.2 overs, where Al Amin top-scored for the side with 84 runs, which included seven fours and a six, while young wicketkeeper-batsman

Zakir Hasan added 62.

At the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali stadium in Fatullah there was a thriller between Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club, which ended in a tie despite Liton Das smashing his second hundred of the league. Pacer Mohammad Azim managed to restrict Prime Doleshwar in the last over, off which they needed just six runs, by picking up two wickets with the first two balls and eventually end

the game in a stalemate.

Azim bagged six wickets in total, conceding 67 runs from his ten overs, while young left-arm pacer Qazi Anik took three for Mohammedan.

Doleshwar's Liton was dismissed after scoring 129 runs, laced with eight fours and two sixes, and adding 114 for the fourth wicket alongside Farhad Hossain, who scored a run-a-ball52.

Despite the dismissal of the two set batsmen, Doleshwar could still

have won the game but went on to lose four wickets in quick succession while needing just 24 runs from the last four overs to eventually finish on a level 286 for nine in 50 overs.

Earlier, Mohammedan took the first guard and were all-out on 286 with a ball to spare. Skipper Shamsur Rahman scored a team high 75 off 93 balls, featuring five sixes and a four, and Bipul Sharma smashed a blistering 31 ball 53 as Mohammedan added 50 in the last over.

With nine points from seven games, Doleshwar are in second place behind Abahani on the league table.

At the Sher-e-Bangla National stadium in Mirpur, Defending champions Gazi Group Cricketers continued their poor run in the ongoing DPL by losing their fifth game in seven outings by 95 runs against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.

Jamal posted 265 for 8 in 50 overs courtesy of a century from opener Shykat Ali, who eventually retired due to cramps after scoring 115 off 118 balls, featuring six fours and five sixes, while partner Hasanuzzaman added 45.

In reply, Gazi were bundled out on 170 in 42.4 overs as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Indian recruit Gurakreet Singh's 67 was the only notable performance with the bat while Sajedul Islam, Sohag Gazi, Kazi Kamrul Islam and Elias Sunny took two wickets each.