Rajshahi clinched the 38th National Cricket Championship title yesterday by handing Jessore a comprehensive 92-run defeat in the tournament's final at the Shahid Advocate Aminuddin Stadium in Pabna.

Jessore skipper Tushar Imran won the toss and elected to bowl, allowing Rasjshahi to take the advantage of batting first.

Rajshahi then galloped to 257 runs all out in 49.2 overs with batsman Ijarul Islam top-scoring for the side with 76 while Kamran Hafiz added 67.

Jessore's Tipu Sultan was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped five wickets and gave away just 55 runs in his nine-over spell.

Jessore lost wickets cheaply and quickly in their chase. Hasanuzzaman and Mostafizur Bashar were the only notable performers for the side, adding 44 and 24 runs respectively as Jessore were bundled out for 165 in 38.5 overs.

After the game, Tushar opined that the poor performance of his team's batsmen helped Rajshahi claim the easy win.

“It is not so tough to chase 257 but our batsmen lost wickets at the beginning of the match which caused the big defeat,” he said.

Tushar also spoke about his overall view of the tournament and about how it might have been better managed: “The quota of five premier league players in the playing eleven helps make the tournament more competitive and I think there is no question about the standard of cricket here.

“But from an organising point of view, I think the hotel and the Dinajpur ground's outfield were not up to the mark. Also, if the management increased the daily allowance, players would be more eager to participate and would look forward to this competition every year.”

On the other hand, Rajshahi captain Farhad Hossain only had praise for his team's batting, bowling and fielding efforts.

“Every match is challenging but the final is more so. Our batsmen took the responsibility of scoring 257 runs. Our bowlers performed their duties perfectly by taking wickets regularly,” Farhad explained.

Pabna's deputy commissioner Rekha Rani Balo, police superintendent Jihadul Kabir and director of Bangladesh Cricket Board Shopon Chowdhury distributed prizes to the winning team.

BRIEF SCORE:

Rajshahi: 257 all out in 49.2 overs (Ijarul 76, Kamran 67,Moklesur 31; Tipu 5-55)

JESSORE: 165 all out in 38.5 overs (Hasanuzzaman 44, Mostafizur 24, Rasel 23 not out; Sabbir 3-39)

RESULT: Rajshahi won by 92 runs

Player-of-the-match: Ijarul Islam