Century Whenever Facing Khulna, Al Amin's Again 102

Four matches are being played across four venues in this round of the National Cricket League (NCL). The most talked-about story of the round belongs to Mymensingh's off-spinning all-rounder Al Amin Jr, who scored 102 against Khulna. It is an exact repeat of last season's innings, when he made 102 not out against the same team. Two seasons in a row, the same opponent, a century both times — such a coincidence is rarely seen in first-class cricket. Last season's hundred was Al Amin's fourth first-class century and ended a six-season drought. This time it is his fifth first-class hundred, and it too came against Khulna. In other words, his last two first-class centuries have both come against the same team. This makes the hundred even more special, because scoring centuries against the same opponent in consecutive seasons is never easy for any batsman. The sequence of the innings was also interesting. Al Amin retired hurt on 101. After the eighth wicket fell, he returned to bat, faced two balls, scored one run and was out. His total thus stood at 102. Even after completing his century he kept fighting and came back intending to add a few more runs for the team, though that stay did not last long. But despite this century, Mymensingh's match is in deep trouble. Khulna enforced the follow-on on the basis of their first-innings lead. In the first innings Mymensingh trailed Khulna by 180 runs. In the second innings the team has reached 315 for 9 and is only 135 ahead. That means Khulna need about 136 to win and have the whole final day available. For Mymensingh, Abdul Majid scored 59. Khulna's off-spinner Sheikh Parvez took four wickets and kept the pressure on Mymensingh's second innings. Mymensingh will have to bat with their last pair on the final day, while Khulna need quick wickets. The NCL is a four-day first-class competition and the follow-on threshold here is a 150-run first-innings lead. Khulna's lead was 180, so the decision was correct under the rules. However, the story of the match does not end there. Mymensingh's last pair still has a chance to take the team to a respectable position. If Mymensingh's last pair adds a few more runs, Khulna's target will grow. But for now Khulna are clearly close to victory. Mymensingh have neither a big lead nor much time. The final day will depend on how much time Mymensingh's last pair can burn. If they fall early, Khulna will get a small target and the match could end quickly. Chattogram-Sylhet: the 101-run equation In the match between Chattogram and Sylhet, Sylhet scored 218 in the first innings. In reply Chattogram made 210 and fell 8 runs short. In the second innings Sylhet were again bowled out for 218, and Chattogram were set a target of 227. Sylhet scoring the same total in both innings is itself remarkable and is a special feature of this match. Chasing the target, Chattogram reached 126 for 1 by the close of play. Sadikur Rahman is unbeaten on 58 and Shah Paran on 51. The team needs 101 more runs to win with 9 wickets in hand. Chattogram are chasing their second win of the match, which makes this fixture important for them in terms of the points table as well. In Sylhet's second innings the team had at one stage lost 7 wickets for 139. Tofayel Ahmed, batting at No. 9, played a crucial innings of 47 and took the team past 200. Had Tofayel not played that innings, Sylhet might not even have reached 200 and Chattogram's target would have been much smaller. That is why his innings proved so valuable for the team. An unnamed Chattogram left-arm spinner took four wickets in each innings, the best bowling performance of the match. He gave Sylhet no chance to settle in either innings and put his team in a strong position. Four wickets in each innings — eight or more wickets in the match — is a big achievement for any spinner. Amit Hasan, who has been picked in Bangladesh's squad for the second Test against West Indies, scored 34 and 20 in this round. He was named in the Test squad and still appeared in this match, which suggests he was released for match practice. Rajshahi-Rangpur in Bogra The match between Rajshahi and Rangpur is being played in Bogra. Rangpur scored 256 in the first innings. Opener Anik Sarkar made 75 and No. 5 Iqbal Hossain made 70. Both innings took Rangpur to a respectable total. Rajshahi medium pacer Asaduzzaman Payel took 5 for 64 and stopped Rangpur from building a bigger total. In reply Rajshahi made 231 in the first innings, 25 runs behind. In the second innings Rajshahi have reached 110 for 3 and are 85 ahead. That means the match is still open and both teams have a chance of winning on the final day. If Rajshahi stretch their lead, the pressure will mount on Rangpur, but if Rangpur strike early, the match could turn. Barishal-Dhaka in Rajshahi: two days lost The match between Barishal and Dhaka in Rajshahi city lost two full days to a wet outfield. The match began on the third day. It is worth noting that the two days were lost not because of rain but because of a wet outfield. This is the most unusual incident of the round and such a thing is rarely seen. On the third day Barishal reached 266 for 8. Wicketkeeper Mohammad Abdullah is unbeaten on 62. Barishal's innings is still in progress with two wickets in hand. Scoring 266 in a single day shows that batting conditions were favourable and Barishal took advantage. The question now is whether a result is still possible after two days were lost. If Barishal declare early and Dhaka get time to bat, a result might be possible. But if Barishal bat long, the match will drift towards a draw. That is the biggest question of this match, and the answer will come on the final day. The final-day equation The most exciting situation of the round is in Chattogram-Sylhet, where Chattogram need 101 runs with 9 wickets in hand, while Sylhet need quick wickets to win. On the other hand, Khulna are close to victory against Mymensingh, and the Rajshahi-Rangpur match in Bogra is wide open. The result of the Barishal-Dhaka match in Rajshahi will depend on time. Overall, Al Amin's century is the biggest individual story of the round, but at team level Mymensingh are in trouble and Khulna are on the brink of victory. The century will be a personal memory for Al Amin, but his team is not benefiting from it. That is cricket's biggest irony — sometimes even the biggest individual innings cannot prevent a team's defeat.