Taibur's unbeaten ton puts Dhaka in command, Sanjit routs Rangpur

Taibur Rahman's unbeaten century and a responsible half-century from Aminul Islam Biplob put Dhaka in a commanding position against Khulna, while Sanjit Mojumder's five-wicket haul dismantled Rangpur's batting line-up in another National Cricket League (NCL) match on Saturday.

At the end of the opening day's play in Khulna, Dhaka had piled up 368-5 in 90 overs, with Taibur and Biplob sharing an unbroken 144-run sixth-wicket stand.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, Dhaka made a steady start as openers Ashikur Rahman Shibli and Anisul Islam added 67 runs. Anisul departed for 45 off 61 balls, hitting eight fours, to Rakib Howlader.

Shibli then completed his half-century before falling to Sheikh Parvez Jibon for 56 off 101 balls, which included six fours and a six.

Dhaka briefly lost their way in the middle overs, with experienced batter Marshall Ayub (4) and Mahidul Islam Ankon (1) falling cheaply to Sof Alie. However, Faisal Sarkar Raihan steadied the innings with a composed 70 off 115 balls, featuring four fours and two sixes, before being trapped lbw by Azizul Hakim Tamim.

With Dhaka reduced to 224-5, Taibur and Biplob launched a counter-attack, taking the game away from Khulna's bowlers. Taibur remained unbeaten on 128 off 152 balls, striking 15 fours and two sixes, while Biplob contributed an unbeaten 56 off 96 deliveries, with three fours.

Sof Alie was Khulna's most successful bowler with two wickets, while Jibon, Howlader and Tamim claimed one each.

In the other match in Khulna, Chattogram's bowlers dismantled Rangpur for just 166, with Sanjit Mojumder leading the charge with a five-wicket haul.

Sanjit claimed 5-41 in 13.4 overs to break the backbone of Rangpur's batting line-up. Chattogram captain Hasan Murad also chipped in with two wickets.

Rangpur suffered the setback without their regular captain Akbar Ali, who is away on duty in the Nepal Premier League. His absence proved costly as the batting line-up failed to build a substantial total.