Central Zone opener Murshida Khatun scored an unbeaten hundred while skipper Nigar Sultana Joty made 64 not out to help their side give a strong reply to East Zone's first innings total of 354 runs on the second day of the second-round match of the ongoing Women's Bangladesh Cricket League (WBCL) at the Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi on Friday.

Murshida struck 122 off 219 balls and shared an unbroken stand worth 147 runs with Joty for the third wicket as Central Zone reached 242-2 at stumps.

Earlier, East Zone batters added 38 runs to their overnight score of 316-8 before they got bowled out.

For Central Zone, left-arm spinner Nahida Akter finished with 4-71, while pacer Lata Mondal took three wickets.

In the day's other match, North Zone finished the second day on 95-4 in their second innings, extending their lead to 113 after they bundled out South Zone for 220 in their first innings.

At the Bangla Trac Cricket Academy Ground in Rajshahi, resuming on an overnight score of 51-2, only Rumana Ahmed and Shamima Sultana could put up decent performances, making 57 and 48 respectively, as South Zone fell 18 runs short of North Zone's first innings tally.

North Zone off-spinner Jannatul Ferdus Sumona bagged her second fifer in the tournament as she finished with 5-58 while pacer duo Marufa Akter (3-54) and Fariha Trisna (2-17) shared the remaining five wickets.

North Zone, in their second innings, lost both openers early but Misty Rani's 35 and Sobhana Mostary's unbeaten 21 helped them finish the day in a strong position.