Zakir, Shanto steady ship for Bangladesh A

COXS BAZAR: Zakir Hasan (82 batting off 174 balls, 8 fours, 2 sixes) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (56 batting off 124 balls, 7 fours) struck unbeaten fifties as Bangladesh A stood at 172 for one in its second innings against India A at stumps on the third day of the first match here on Thursday.

Zakir and Shanto have put on 101 runs for the unbroken second wicket, but the host still trails by 180 runs. Earlier, India A, which began on its overnight score of 404 for five, declared its first innings at 464 for five.

Brief scores: Bangladesh A 112 & 172/1 in 63 overs (Zakir 82*, Shanto 56*) vs India A 464/5 decl. in 131.5 overs (Y Jaiswal 145, A Easwaran 141, Taijul 3/170)