Rony, Shibli shine as Nayeem reaches landmark 300

Central Zone’s Abu Hider Rony and Ashikur Rahman Shibli produced impressive batting performances, while East Zone’s Nayeem Hasan reached a landmark on the opening day of the 12th Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) four-day competition at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Rony remained unbeaten on a fluent 90 off 110 deliveries, while Shibli supported him with a steady 75 not out from 151 balls. The pair stitched together an unbroken 147-run partnership for the sixth wicket, guiding Central Zone to 272 for six at stumps on day one.

Central Zone had earlier found themselves in deep trouble after being reduced to 125 for five, having been sent in to bat. Opener Shadman Islam offered resistance with a composed 56 off 114 balls before falling to off-spinner Nayeem Hasan. The wicket also marked Nayeem’s 300th in first-class cricket.

For East Zone, Ebadot Hossain and Tofael Ahmed were the pick of the bowlers, claiming two wickets each.

Meanwhile, in the other match of the day at the Sylhet Outer Stadium, North Zone made a steady start, reaching 16 without loss after bowling South Zone out for 314 in their first innings.

South Zone, after being sent in to bat, began on a promising note as openers Anamul Haque Bijoy and Iftakhar Hossain Ifti put on a 58-run stand. Bijoy scored 31 before being dismissed by Taijul Islam. Ifti then added 49 and shared a 59-run partnership with Fazle Mahmud, who contributed 34.

However, a middle-order wobble saw South Zone slip to 126 for four. Captain Mohammad Mithun steadied the innings with a crucial 53, adding 106 runs for the fifth wicket with Rizan Hossain, who scored 47.

Despite the recovery, South Zone suffered a late collapse, losing their last six wickets for just 82 runs to be bowled out on the opening day.

For North Zone, Taijul Islam and Abdullah Al Mamun picked up three wickets each, while Sunzamul Islam chipped in with two.