Bangladesh players Najmul Hossain Shanto and Taskin Ahmed experienced vastly contrasting days on Tuesday in the Dhaka Premier League.  

Both hit tons; one was of relief and the other was rather an unwanted one.

Abahani skipper Shanto, batting at three for Abahani against Legends of Rupganj, tasted the satisfaction of a century in white-ball cricket for the first time since April 2024, catching a surprising break from his horrid rut with the bat across formats, both for the national team as well as in domestic cricket. 

It was Shanto's 13th List A ton. His last one came for Abahani against Gazi Group Cricketers in the previous edition of the DPL almost a year back. The ton put a stop to his slide that saw him manage just one half-century each in Tests and T20Is since the start of 2024. 

In 15 innings batted in Tests, Shanto managed just 317 runs at an average of 21.13, failing to reach double figures on six occasions. The picture is bleaker in T20Is – a format in which he did not wish to captain Bangladesh. In the 20 innings he batted, the left-hander scored 358 runs at strike-rate of 102.57 and an average of 18.84.

Chasing 293 at the BKSP Ground-3, Shanto laid the foundations for Abahani with a 108-ball 101, featuring 12 fours and two sixes, and a 107-run stand with Jishan Alam (43 runs off 46 balls) before Mominul Haque (35 off 32 balls) and Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby (31 off 25 balls) played steady hands to take the Sky Blues to the finish line with four-wickets in hand and eight balls to spare. 

The win extended Abahani's point tally to 10, courtesy of five wins from six matches, as they jointly lead the table alongside Gazi Group Cricketers.

Earlier, Saif Hassan (67 off 103 balls) and Mahmudul Hasan Joy (58 off 54 balls) hit half-centuries, and Jaker Ali played a run-a-ball 35 to propel Legends of Rupganj to 292-6.

Nahid Rana was expensive for Abahani but scalped two wickets, finishing with figures of 2-71.

Meanwhile, Taskin, who was rewarded for his impressive performances with an A+ category Bangladesh Cricket Board contract [earning him Tk 10 lakhs per month] last week for impressive and consistent performances, conceded the most runs in a List A match in Bangladesh. The right-arm quick, playing for Mohammedan Sporting Club, took three wickets but leaked 107 runs against Gazi Group Cricketers at BKSP Ground-4, beating the previous highest -104 - held jointly by Shahadat Hossain (for Bangladesh A against South Africa A in Benoni in 2011 ) and Iqbal Hossain Emon (2-104 in nine overs in last year's DPL while playing for GT Academy against Abahani in Fatullah).

Taskin's misfire proved costly for Mohammedan as Gazi piled on 336-5 and The Black and Whites were bundled out for 271 to clinch their fifth win.

Gazi skipper Anamul Haque Bijoy smashed an unbeaten 143-ball 149, featuring 12 fours and two sixes, and in the process put together a 141-stand with fellow opener Sadikur Rahman (60 off 75 balls). Tofael Ahmed added the firework in the dying stages of the innings with a quickfire 29-ball 63 laced with five fours and four sixes. 

Abdul Gaffar Saqlain was the picked of the bowlers for Gazi, picking up four wickets for 59.
At the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Prime Bank Cricket Club picked up their third win as they beat Dhanmondi Sports Club by 55 runs, propelling them to sixth in the standings.

Shamim Hossain stood out amongst the quartet who hit half-centuries for Prime Bank – Sabbir Hosan (50 off 70 balls), Zaki Hasan (64 off 86 balls), Irfan Shukkur (56 off 52 balls) -- as the left-hander smashed six fours and two sixes for his 37-ball 62, helping his side to 308-5.

Three wickets apiece from Hasan Mahmud and Arafat Sunny, and two from Khaled Ahmed helped bundle out Dhanmondi Sports Club to 253 in 49.5 overs.