A Century Every Time Against Khulna: Al Amin Jr Strikes 102 Again

The third day of the fourth round of the National Cricket League (NCL) brought several stories at once. The match between Barishal and Dhaka finally began on the third day after two full days were lost to a wet outfield. Mymensingh's off-spinning all-rounder Al Amin Jr struck a century against Khulna for the second consecutive season. And Rajshahi's medium pacer Asaduzzaman Payel rattled Rangpur by taking five wickets. Amid these headlines, the truth of the most important match is that Mymensingh, following on, is 315/9 and only 135 runs ahead — meaning Khulna's path to victory is largely clear. Mymensingh vs Khulna: Al Amin's century, but the team in trouble The highlight of this round was the match between Mymensingh and Khulna, where Al Amin Jr played an innings of 102. His knock was special because last season too he had made 102 (not out) against Khulna. That is, two consecutive seasons, the same opponent, the same score — a rare coincidence in cricket. Last season's century was Al Amin's fourth first-class hundred and ended a six-season drought. This time the 102 is his fifth first-class century. Interestingly, both of his last two first-class hundreds have come against Khulna — in a sense, Khulna has proved a special 'host' for his bat. The shape of the innings was equally interesting. Al Amin retired hurt on 101. After the eighth wicket fell, he returned to bat and added one run off two balls before being dismissed. Thus his innings ended on 102 — the 101 retired hurt plus the later 1 run, a total of 102. This is the same figure he made not out last season, except this time he was dismissed. In Mymensingh's innings, Abdul Majid made an important contribution of 59, but the team's troubles did not ease. Khulna took a first-innings lead of 180 and forced Mymensingh to follow on. The NCL is a four-day first-class competition, where a 150-run lead is required for a follow-on; Khulna's 180-run lead comfortably crossed that threshold. That is why Khulna's captain decided to send Mymensingh back in. Mymensingh has reached 315/9 in the second innings, meaning it is only 135 runs ahead and its last pair is at the crease. In practical terms, Khulna will get a target of about 136 on the final day, which would be considered an easy target in a four-day match. Although the report did not explicitly say how much of a favourite Khulna is, the scoreline speaks for itself — a 135-run lead with nine wickets down means Mymensingh will have to fight for victory while Khulna only needs to chase a modest target. There was also a transparency gap here: the report did not directly state the first-innings totals of Mymensingh and Khulna, although the 180-run lead can be derived by subtracting 135 from 315. Without knowing the first-innings score, the reader cannot verify whether the follow-on decision was legitimate. This is the report's biggest transparency gap, because the match's most decisive turn rests on a number the report did not give directly. Nevertheless, arithmetically all the figures are consistent, which suggests the report was built from real scorecards. In Khulna's bowling, off-spinner Sheikh Parvez took the fourth wicket. Although the report did not detail his figures, given the pressure of the match this wicket would have been important. In Mymensingh's second innings, apart from Al Amin, other batsmen also struggled, which is why the team could not build a big lead despite losing nine wickets. If the last pair falls early, Khulna will get a small target on the final day and the match could end quickly. Chattogram vs Sylhet: 227 target, Chattogram strong at 126/1 The second match was played between Chattogram and Sylhet, where Sylhet made an identical 218 in both innings. After being bowled out for 218 in the first innings, Sylhet's second innings also ended on exactly 218 — identical totals in two innings is rare in cricket and is a talking point in itself. Chattogram had made 210 in the first innings, meaning it took a slender eight-run lead. Thus Sylhet, making 218 in the second innings, set Chattogram a target of 227. Sylhet's second innings did not start well. The team progressed from 89/2, but then lost seven wickets in a row and the score became 139/7. During this, Tofayel Ahmed, batting at number nine, played a gritty innings of 47 and helped the team pass 200. Had Tofayel's innings not happened, Sylhet might have been bowled out around 150 and Chattogram would have got an even easier target. His innings took Sylhet to a respectable score. In Chattogram's bowling, a left-arm spinner produced a masterclass. He took four wickets in the first innings and four in the second — that is, eight to nine wickets in the match. This is one of the most impressive individual bowling performances of the round, but the report did not name him, which is a major shortcoming. Despite such a big performance, the player's identity remaining hidden is disappointing for readers. Chattogram's chase got off to a fine start. Opener Sadikur Rahman is unbeaten on 58 and Shah Paran is unbeaten on 51. Together they have taken the team to 126/1, and only 101 runs are now needed for victory. That is, Chattogram needs just a decent partnership for its second win. Amit Hasan also played in this match, having been named in Bangladesh's squad for the second Test against West Indies. Despite being in the squad, he turned out in the NCL, which means he was likely released to play. He made 34 and 20 in this match, but the report does not make clear which team he played for. Rajshahi vs Rangpur (Bogra): Payel's five wickets, Rajshahi 85 ahead In the match between Rajshahi and Rangpur played in Bogra, Rajshahi's medium pacer Asaduzzaman Payel took five wickets (5/64) to bowl Rangpur out for 256. In Rangpur's innings, opener Anik Sarkar made 75 and Iqbal Hossain, batting at number five, made 70. On the strength of these two innings Rangpur reached a respectable score, but Payel's lethal bowling stopped it from building a bigger total. In reply, Rajshahi's first innings collapsed for 231, meaning it trailed Rangpur by 25 runs. After falling behind in the first innings, Rajshahi made a better start in the second and reached 110/3 to take an 85-run lead. That is, Rajshahi is now 85 runs ahead of Rangpur with six wickets in hand. If Rajshahi's middle-order pair holds, it could set Rangpur a target of more than 200, which would be challenging for the fourth day. Barishal vs Dhaka (Rajshahi city): two days lost to a wet outfield The most unusual situation was seen in the match between Barishal and Dhaka, being played in Rajshahi city. Two full days of this match were lost to a wet outfield — and notably, this happened not because of rain but because of a wet outfield. This is the most unusual fact of the entire round, yet it was buried deep in the report, whereas such news should have been in the lead. The match finally began on the third day. Batting first, Barishal put up 266/8, in which wicketkeeper Mohammad Abdullah made an important contribution, remaining unbeaten on 62. Reaching 266/8 in a single day after two days were wasted shows that the batsmen tried to score quickly. However, the report did not say whether a result is possible in this match. After losing two days, producing a result in a four-day match is difficult, and the reader's most natural question is whether this match is heading for a draw or whether Barishal has a chance to win. The report does not answer this question. The bigger picture of this round Overall, this round was a mix of four matches whose main story is a personal milestone, but the actual match situation shows Mymensingh is in trouble. Al Amin's century made headlines, but Mymensingh, following on, is 315/9 and only 135 runs ahead — meaning it is heading toward defeat. Khulna will get a target of about 136 on the final day and is the favourite. The report did not say this directly, but the scoreline makes it clear. Chattogram, chasing 227 against Sylhet, has reached a strong 126/1 and needs 101 runs for its second win. Rajshahi has taken an 85-run lead against Rangpur and the match is tilting in its favour. The match between Barishal and Dhaka was lost to a wet outfield for two days, leaving the result uncertain. The NCL is a prestigious domestic first-class competition where young and experienced players prove their talent. All-rounders like Al Amin scoring centuries consistently and players like Amit Hasan being selected in the Test squad reflect the league's importance. However, the report contains no quotes from any player, coach or official, nor any points table or standings, making it difficult for readers to understand the teams' positions. Conclusion This round was exciting for cricket fans — Al Amin's century against Khulna for the second consecutive season, Payel's five-wicket haul, Chattogram's strong batting and the wet outfield in the Barishal-Dhaka match. On the final day all eyes will be on the Mymensingh-Khulna match, where Khulna will get a small target to win and Mymensingh will have to rely on its last pair. Chattogram and Rajshahi will try to strengthen their positions, while the Barishal-Dhaka match offers little hope of a result.