Holders Abahani were successful in restricting Agrani Bank to an attainable target while Brothers Union piled up a huge score against Ajax Sporting in matches of the Janakantha Premier league at different city venues yesterday.
At the Bangabandhu National Stadium, Abahani, bidding for a treble league championship, did half their job on the opening day when they booked Agrani Bank at 272 for nine in the stipulated 80 overs, thanks to seamer Rahul Niamur Rashid, who returned with brilliant figures of four for 27 from his 16 overs that included seven maidens.
Coming in to bowl as first change, the tall right-arm pacer ripped through the Agrani top order with his controlled medium-pacers coupled with little gems of out-swingers. He struck in the 11th over when the bankers were on 49. He first removed opener Sajjad Kadir (13) and then went on to dismiss the other opener Obaidullah (21) in his next over without any addition to the total.
Bankers lost their third wicket on 72 in the 25th over when Rajin Saleh, who scored a brilliant 65 against Brothers Union in their previous match at the same venue, became the third victim of Niamur on 15. Things turned worse for Bank in the next over when skipper Ziauddin was trapped leg before by national right-arm seamer Hasibul Hossain before he could open his account.
However, Agrani's Pakistani middle-order Shahin Malik with an unbeaten 98 held the innings together after the mediocre side were reduced to five for 119 in 41.3 overs.
The right-hander, who stayed at the crease for more than three hours and faced 167 balls, clubbed only three boundaries but a huge six, which went all the way to the VIP gallery, off Hasibul Hossain in the third ball of the last over.
Dropped by Azam Khan at the slips when he was on 41, Malik shared a 46-run partnership for the fifth-wicket with his compatriot Saeed Azad and then went on to make a 67-run sixth-wicket partnership with in-form batsman Mofizur Rahman before the latter was bowled by off-spinner Naimur Rahman when on 39.
In his 76-minute vigil, Mofizur, the discarded national cricketer, hammered three boundaries and a sweet sixer straight over Abahani's Pakistan left-arm spinner Mohammad Hossain.
After Mofizur's departure with Agrani Bank on 186 in the 63rd over, Shahin Malik single- handedly took his side to a fighting score without getting much support from the lower order.
He missed a well-deserved century for a couple of runs. But his contribution might count even more if the bankers can defend 272 when play resumes today against their mighty opponents.
Away at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium, Pakistani middle-order Aamir Hanif missed a century for five runs as Brothers Union, put in to bat by their lowly-rated opponents, scored a mammoth 371 for nine in their 80 overs.
The Karachi-based right-hander, who is playing for the Gopibagh outfit for the last couple of seasons, was unbeaten on 95 when Brothers Union exhausted their overs quota.
In his 101-ball swashbuckling knock, Aamir hammered two sixes and four fours.
Aamir apart, there were two more fifties from opener Shahriar Hossain and middle-order Sanwar who chipped in with 50 and 55 respectively.
Ajax's new-ball bowler Aminul Islam captured four wickets for 74 runs from his 15 overs.
Both the matches will continue today.