South Zone on the cusp of sixth BCL title

Five-time winners South Zone are in total control to clinch the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) title as they forced Central Zone to follow on in the penultimate day of the competition's finale at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium in Cox's Bazar on Monday.

The reigning champions Central Zone, still trailing by 206 runs with seven wickets in hand, are left with a daunting task to save the game on the fourth and final day tomorrow.

Resuming the third day on 33 without loss, in reply to South's mammoth 505 for five in the first innings, Central kept losing wickets at regular intervals as they slumped to 92 for six. Although they failed to avoid a follow on, Central managed to stretch their total to as far as 230, courtesy of some rearguard action between Ariful Haque (40) and Abu Hider Rony (39).

Jaker Ali top scored for Central with 53 off 127 balls, while opener Soumya Sarkar chipped in with a 81-ball 33.

For South, the last edition's runners-up, left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam Apu took three wickets while Sumon Khan and Anamul Haque bagged two scalps.

Central's second innings saw their batters struggle yet again, this time reeling at the start -- on five for three in side the fifth over after Soumya, Abdul Mazid and Shubhagata Hom went to the pavilion. Mohammad Mithun (40*) and Jaker Ali (19*) then staged a consolidation act, stitching an unbeaten 59-run stand for the fourth wicket to take score to 64 for three after 20 overs at stumps.

Off-spinner Moin Khan picked up two wickets while pacer Khaled Ahmed registered a dismissal for South.