Sylhet Division are on the verge of winning their maiden National Cricket League title as they need only 105 runs against Barishal on the fourth and final day of their sixth-round match at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium today.
Sylhet are currently on top of the table with 29 points after five rounds and have a high chance to grab another eight points if they beat Barishal.
If they win, Sylhet will cement their top position with a total of 37 points, having one match remaining in the league. No other teams will be able to reach their points tally then.
Even defending champions Dhaka division, currently in second place with 25 points, will not be able to surpass Sylhet even if they win their final round match.
Syed Khaled Ahmed (4-18) claimed a four-for and Tofael Ahmed grabbed three wickets, while Nasum Ahmed picked up two to fold Barishal for 142 runs in the second innings.
Earlier, Sylhet scored 342 runs, bolstered by four half-centuries, including a top-scoring knock of 64 by Tofael Ahmed in reply to Barishal鈥檚 304, taking a 40-run first-innings lead.
Khulna came up strong in their second innings, leaving Chattogram struggling at 118-7 at stumps as they needed another three wickets to secure a win at the Sylhet Academy Ground.
Irfan Shukkur scored the highest 32, while tail-enders Ashraful Hasan and Ahmed Sharif were unbeaten on 28 and five runs, respectively, at stumps, as Chattogram still required 86 runs for an unlikely win.
Pacer Al Amin Hossain took 4-55 while Masum Khan Tutul scalped two for Khulna.
Earlier on Monday, Khulna set a target of 204 runs by scoring 219, overcoming a narrow 16-run deficit after fifties from Anamul Haque Bijoy (75) and Sheikh Parvez Jibon (52).
Dhaka Metro are in the driving seat after restricting Rangpur to 253-9, leaving them trailing by 222 runs at the end of the third day at the Cox鈥檚 Bazar Academy Ground.
Mehedi Hasan and Anisul Islam each took three wickets to put Metro in a strong position.
With the final day ahead, Metro will be eager to wrap up Rangpur quickly in hopes of achieving a decisive result.
Earlier, Metro made a massive 475 in their first innings, buoyed by Naim Sheikh鈥檚 career-best 180 runs off 285 balls laced with 20 boundaries and a six.