The third and final day of the opening round of the Women's Bangladesh Cricket League witnessed two top national batters – Nigar Sultana Joty and Farzana Haque Pinky – scoring hundreds for their respective sides in the Central Zone versus North Zone match at the Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi today.

Joty, the Central Zone skipper who resumed the day on 85, became the first Bangladeshi women's cricketer to score a hundred in the history of first-class competition during the opening hour of the day. She remained unbeaten on 153 off 253 balls to help her side post 387-8d and take a 147-run lead in the first innings. 

Off-spinner Jannatul Ferdous Sumona finished with 6-113 to become the second bowler after Central Zone's Nahida Akter to take a five-wicket haul in the match.

Later in the day, Pinky joined Joty in the list of century-makers with an unbeaten 102 off 226 balls. Pinky, Bangladesh's first centurion in women's international cricket, put up 196 runs in the opening stand with Ishma Tanjim (90 off 171 balls) to guide North Zone to 204-1 before both teams agreed on a stalemate.

Although Pinky could not become the first centurion in first-class cricket after getting  dismissed on 86 runs in North Zone's first innings, Joty claimed that it was Pinky's patient knock of 246 balls that inspired her to such a milestone.

"In the first innings, the opposition players,  especially the way Pinky was batting with so much time and patience and Ishma was batting so nicely that I felt that I needed to bat that way too," Joty admitted after the match.

"I think I got inspired by their batting. I was watching the batters building up their innings from the other match as they were also taking time in their innings. The coach and the team also gave a message to be patient in this game and I tried to bat that way," said Joty. 

The Bangladesh captain was happy to see batters ruling the roost and scoring big runs.

"It's a good sign that the batters score good runs whatever the format is. It's important to score runs. If they can score runs, it boosts the confidence. As we have a vital series coming up, I think the batters will get more confidence there," she added.

Meanwhile, in the day's other match, South Zone skipper Rabeya Khan came up with an inspiring all-round performance (70 runs and seven wickets including 5-18 in the second innings) to propel her side to a 10-wicket win against East Zone at the Bangla Trac Cricket Academy Ground.

The second round matches will start from December 26.