Mohammedan Sporting showed signs of a recovery act after two consecutive defeats when the popular Motijheel outfit restricted babes Orient Sporting to an attainable target in a Janakantha Premier League match at the Dhaka Stadium yesterday.
Skipper Mohammed Rafique led his demoralised side from the front by snaring four wickets as Orient, electing to bat first, were all out for 188 in 78.5 overs.
Mohammedan, in reply, were 17 for no loss at stumps.
Rafique struck at a crucial stage, evaporating Orient's hopes of a challenging total. Orient were comfortably placed at 86 for one in 34.4 overs when the national left-arm spinner started the rot by dismissing a menacingly-poised Biplob, who was clean bowled after scoring a defiant 43.
Orient went to lunch at 86 for two in 36 overs. But Rafique struck again immediately after the break. He took two wickets in successive deliveries in the first over after lunch, reducing Orient to 90 for four from where they never recovered. Rafique eventually finished with four for 28 in his 16 overs.
Monzurul Islam then took over from where Rafique left. The young left-arm seamer ripped through the lower middle-order to finish with fantastic figures of 16-10-23-3. It would have been a more resounding day for the southpaw had he not conceded nine runs in his last over.
With Monzurul on fire with his outswingers, Orient were at one stage reeling on 112 for seven before a chancy 48 by number eight batsman Sohail Islam gave them a face-saving total. Dropped at 19, Sohail chanced his arm on his way to a maiden half-century in the league. But he fell to a brilliant catch by Halim Shah, who made amends for his earlier blunder by taking the hot stuff at gully off Zakir.
After the good work by the bowlers, openers Selim Shahed and Rashedul Haq saw off the five overs bowled in the final session to complete a satisfactory day for Mohammedan.
At the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium, Agrani Bank continued their fairy-tale run when the mediocre outfit posted a commanding total against promotees Sadharan Bima.
The high-flying bankers, who floored holders Abahani and runners-up Brothers Union in their previous two matches, had half their job done for what will be their third consecutive win when they scored 342 for eight in their 80 overs. Thanks to a brilliant 92 from Pakistani Shaheen Malik and a breezy 67 from Mofizur Rahman.
The middle-order duo, who were responsible for upsetting the apple carts of the two giants, were once again in the thick of things after Agrani Bank lost half their wickets at the score of 164.
The couple put on 105 runs for the sixth wicket before Malik ran himself out in a terrible mix-up. In his 103-ball knock Malik, stranded at nervous ninety for the second time in the league, hammered 11 fours. Mofizur, the more aggressive of the two campaigners, smote a huge sixer and eight disdainful fours in his 75-ball knock. Apart from the dependable pair, one-down Rajin scored a patient 45 off 96 balls.
Away at the BKSP, Victoria, aided by a dazzling century from Rashed Hanif, scored a fighting 261 before being all out in 78 overs against Wari.
Rashed, the younger brother of former Pakistan international Aamir Hanif, hammered 101 off 181 balls embellished with eight fours and a sixer. Coming in to bat at number seven, Rashed held the innings together after Victoria had lost half of their wickets at 70 in only 15.5 overs.