North, Central face off for BCL glory today

North Zone and Central Zone will vie for the coveted Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) one-day tournament trophy when they meet in the grand final of the competition at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the city today (Tuesday), reports BSS.

The match will be a day-night affair, starting at 2:15 PM.

Both sides won two out of three matches on the way to confirming their place in the final. Central Zone's only defeat in the group phase came at the hands of South Zone in the first match of the tournament. However, they bounced back strongly from that seven-wicket defeat to win the next two matches, including one against North Zone, which had looked unstoppable.

Central Zone shocked North Zone by two wickets in a high-scoring thriller. North Zone posted a massive 322-7 and seemed on course for a third straight victory, but Jishan Alam played an incredible 93-ball 127-run knock to help his side chase down the target with four balls to spare.

The victory will certainly be a psychological boost for Central Zone ahead of the mega clash.

The BCL, traditionally a four-day competition and the country's premier first-class tournament, was played in a one-day format this year to help players prepare for the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan, which will visit Bangladesh this month for a three-match series.