A brilliant half-century from Kenyan Steve Tikolo enabled Mohammedan Sporting to return to winning ways in the Janakantha Premier Cricket League with a comfortable seven-wicket win over babes Orient Sporting Club at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
Away at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan, Savar, opener Mukhter Siddique hammered a century to guide Wari to their third win - a six-wicket bashing of Victoria Sporting.
Luck did not favour Sadharan Bima's Indian middle-order Rajinder Singh, who scored a back-to-back century but could not avoid a 29-run defeat to Agrani Bank at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium.
Tikolo, the stocky Kenyan all-rounder, scored an unbeaten 83 as Mohammedan, chasing a paltry Orient total of 188 in 80 overs, went on to reach 189 in 45.5 overs with seven wickets to spare.
Tikolo, who came to bat at number three with Mohammedan on 58 in the 18th over, remained on the crease for near-about two hours and took the Motijheel outfit safely home with his fourth fifty of the season in six matches.
Tikolo added 30 runs with opener Selim Shahed before the latter was run out on 34 and then went on to share a 38-run third-wicket partnership with Nasirul Alam (10) before he wrapped up the match with an unbeaten 63-run fourth-wicket stand with compatriot Maurice Odumbe, who was not out on 23.
In his 89-ball polished inning, Tikolo hammered a huge six and ten boundaries.
It was Mohammedan's fourth win in six matches.
At the BKSP, opener Mukhter Siddique scored 129 as Wari, chasing a fighting Victoria total of 261 in 80 overs, scored 265 for the loss of four wickets with more than eleven overs to spare.
In his 181-ball innings, Mukhter, who shared a 158-run second-wicket stand with Pakistani Amir Wasim, smote two sixes and 15 boundaries.
Among others, Amir, the Lahore-based right-hand batsman, contributed with 61 off 95 balls that included four fours while his compatriot Tareque Mahmood chipped in with a quick-fire 25.
At Dhanmondi, Agrani Bank posted their third win defeating promotees Sadharan Bima.
Rajinder Singh, who scored 112 last week against Wari in their previous match, scored another futile ton, 111. But Bima, who were chasing a mammoth Bank total of 342 in 80 overs, were all out for 313 in the face of some controlled spin from three tweakers - Russell Khan, Suja Erfan and Pakistani Shahin Malik.
Russell, the young left-arm slow bowler, who ripped through the Bima tail, returned with four for 67 from his allotted 16 overs while another left-arm spinner Suja Erfan and offee Shahin Malik captured two wickets each.