The result at the Sylhet Stadium meant that the holders dropped to second spot in the table while their victors ended the third round sharing the lead with Rajshahi and Chittagong each on four points.

Khaled Mashud's Rajshahi coasted to a comfortable 95-run victory over hosts Barisal but Chittagong had to work hard before managing a narrow win against Khulna.

SYLHET VS DHAKA

Mohammad Rafique may have won the 'battle of the spinners' with Sylhet's leggie Nabil Samad but even five wickets was not enough to prevent the home team's march to victory as Dhaka collapsed to 117 while chasing 223.

Nabil captured four for 13 in 4.4 overs to design Dhaka's downfall. One down Sajjad Hossain top-scored with an 83-ball 44 that included three boundaries while Jahangir Alam added 25 off 49 balls.

Earlier Imtiaz Hossain Tanna's half-century propelled Sylhet to 222-9 after being put in to bat.

The opener was later adjudged man-of-the-match after scoring an exciting 53 off 65 deliveries with seven sweetly-timed fours. Nasirul Alam Nahid added 43 and Bangladesh all-rounder Alok Kapali contributed 27 off 36 balls with one over-boundary.

Left-arm spinner Rafique finished with five for 16.

RAJSHAHI VS BARISAL

Rajshahi recovered from a shaky start to pile up 261for seven. The total, however, was beyond Barisal's reach as they made 166-7 in their allotted overs at the Barisal Stadium.

Former national paceman and Barisal skipper Anisur Rahman rattled the visitors claiming three of the four wickets to fall by the time Rajshahi had put 14 runs on the board. He eventually collected 5-42.

But a 139-run partnership between Nuruzzaman Nayan and Anisur Rahman salvaged the situation.

Nuruzzaman made 67 off 95 balls with five boundaries while his fellow right-handed partner Anis top-scored with 81 off 113 balls with seven fours and a six.

It was lower-order batsman Hasanuzzaman Rozel who really punished the Barisal bowlers with a rapid-fire for fifty. The man-of-the-match during a 32-blitzrieg smashed five fours and a six.

In Barisal's innings Nahidul Haq Shaon made an unbeaten 69 off 131 balls.

CHITTAGONG VS KHULNA

Chittagong returned to winning ways in the abridged version of the first-class competition.

In a curtailed affair at the Comilla Stadium, Akram Khan's men, which last week lost to hosts Dhaka, defended a modest total of 183-8 in 47 overs after being invited to bat.

Due to foggy conditions the match referee deducted three overs.

The former national captain Akram was the top-scorer with 41 off 68 balls with two hits to the fence.

Khulna spinner Abdur Razzak Raj claimed three for 24 while Tamim Bashir grabbed two wickets for 42 runs.

National League champions Khulna were restricted to 169 in 47 overs with skipper Hasanuzzaman remaining unbeaten on 51 off 70 that contained three sixes.

Chittagong tweaker Ahsanullah Hasan snared three wickets for 24 runs to be adjudged man-of-the-match and Yasin Arafat took two for 24.