The game of landmarks at the BKSP in Savar involving Prime Bank South Zone and Walton Central Zone ended in a predictable draw yesterday.
After Prime Bank South's Tushar Imran became the first player to score 10,000 runs on the opening day of the four-day game, his teammate Abdur Razzak achieved the unique feat of scalping 500 wickets on the third morning while the fourth day turned into one for the battling teams to gain some crucial points by virtue of having a first innings advantage.
Central won that battle when they, resuming on 313-3, more than matched South's first innings total of 448, thanks to a gritty half century from number seven batsman Tanbir Hyder.
The leg-spinning all-rounder hit 77 as Central posted 505 after batting for a marathon 150.4 overs. He was also involved in a crucial 73-run sixth wicket stand with Nadif Chowdhury, who made 40.
Tanbir was the fifth batsman who scored fifties but failed to translate that into a hundred for Central's impressive total. Earlier, Raquibul Hasan was out without adding a single run to his overnight score of 82 and Mehrab Hossain turned his overnight 40 to 76 before becoming one of the four victims of left-arm spinner Razzak, who finished the memorable game with figures of 152-4.
South, who started their second essay with a deficit of 57 runs, scored 120-3 in 26 overs before both captains agreed to a draw.
Former national opener Shahriar Nafees scored an unbeaten 50 while milestone man Tushar made 16 before being run out. For discarded national opener Soumya Sarker, it was yet another disappointing day out in the middle. Dropped from the national team for his inconsistent form, the left-hander scored 18 before being adjudged leg-before off Tanbir. It was the second time in as many matches he was out lbw. He scored 10 in the first innings.
South's wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan was adjudged player-of-the-match for his fine 133, the only century in a high-scoring affair.
The other game, at the Sylhet International Stadium, also ended in a draw but not before Mominul Haque tuned up for the first Test against Sri Lanka later this month with a typically resolute century.
The left-hander, who hit 258 in the previous game, scored 107 as Islami Bank East Zone finished their second innings on 202-6. Mominul hit eight fours and a couple of sixes in his 147-ball knock. The match was declared a draw moments after he was dismissed in the 58th over on completion of his century.
Earlier, resuming the day on 273-8, BCB North Zone added 11 runs before being bowled out by the fourth over of the day, leaving East to score 260 runs for an outright victory.
But apart from the 63-run second wicket stand between Mominul and Liton Das (48), they lacked the pace and necessary partnerships to achieve the target. They lost four wickets for 14 runs after Liton departed at 102.
The third round will start in Rajshahi and Khulna on January 21.
