Day of missed chances:
Mehrab Hossain missed a hundred for four runs but the Old DOHS captain could still afford to leave the near miss behind for two good reasons. Firstly his effort confirmed his side's fourth straight win in the Premier Division Cricket League and secondly the 38-run defeat of Mohammedan meant they crossed a big hurdle in the race for the title.
The defeat at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium on the other hand can be best described as worst possible start for Mohammedan and that too after their Twenty20 triumph earlier this month.
It was Mohammedan's second defeat against a win and a tie that put the Dhaka giants in a dicey situation they had never been in before.
It was however a day of missed opportunities as three batsmen perished in the nineties and for Abahani's young opener Rony Talukdar it was heart-breaking. Rony was run out while only one run short of what could have been his second ton in four games.
But Rony's stroke-filled knock and captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's all-round show gave defending champions Abahani a massive 111-run victory over Partex at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
It was the third victory for Abahani in four games.
Joint leaders Biman also meant business as they thrashed Victoria by 106-run at the BKSP in Savar for their fourth successive win.
DOHS-MOHAMMEDAN
Opener Imtiaz Hossain set the tone with a quick-fire 29-ball 42 that contained seven sweetly-timed fours after DOHS won the toss and decided to bat in their attempt to put up a massive total.
Left-handed Mehrab build on the good start with 96 runs as DOHS put up a fighting total of 251 runs. The national middle-order batsman smote nine boundaries in his 121-ball essay before being dismissed by his Mohammedan counterpart Sohrawordi Shuvo, the left-arm spinner who was the most successful bowler with 33-3.
When everybody was looking forward to a good match after DOHS's challenging target, Mohammedan gave up without a fight. A defeat was written on the wall when Mohammedan lost four wickets for 44 runs with new-ball bowler Rashedur claiming two quick wickets.
The resistance came from number five batsman Marshal Ayub but his 103-ball 81 that contained five fours and two sixes was not enough as Mohammedan were bundled out for 213 runs.
Mehrab was adjudged man-of-the-match for his valuable knock but Abul Hassan also played a vital role as the medium pacer followed up his 36-ball 30 with three wickets for 45 runs.
ABAHANI-PARTEX
Abahani perhaps provided the best opening pair in this year's league so far. It was evident again when the left-right combination of Tamim Iqbal and Rony produced 102 runs against Partex at the home of cricket where the pair also shared a rare 200-run partnership against CCS in the opening match.
With the openers on song, Ahahani piled up a massive 289-6 after deciding to bat.
Rony, who slammed the league's first hundred against CCS, overshadowed his more illustrious partner during his 96-ball 99 that featured eleven fours and a six while Tamim made 53 off 87 balls that featured four boundaries.
The impressive opening stand was followed by good knocks from Indian Venugopal Rao (52 not out) and Sahagir Hossain (36) but it was Abahani skipper Mashrafe who entertained the sparse crowd with a sparkling knock of 32 which came from just 12 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.
Mashrafe then breathed fire with the leather as his four-wicket burst restricted Partex to 178-7 in their share of 50 overs.
Rezaul Haque fought a lone battle with 91 runs off 137 balls that featured eight fours and two sixes.
BIMAN-VICTORIA
Biman thrived on a half-century from Mushfiqur Rahman to put up a decent total of 216 runs for nine after electing to bat.
Most Biman batsmen got started but failed to carry on except former national all-rounder Mushfiq who made 55 off 72 balls that included four boundaries.
It was not a big challenge for Victoria considering their successful chase against Mohammedan in the previous match but they looked pathetic chasers this time and were crushed for a paltry 110.
Arman Hossain, who hit a hundred in the last match, was the top scorer with 31 off 54 balls.
Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan and pacer Mohammad Shahajada captured two wickets each for Biman.
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