Shanto, Mushfiq centuries extend Bangladesh's dominance
Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim both guide Bangladesh with tons, Cricfrenzy
A shaky start turned into a dominant day for Bangladesh in the first Test against Sri Lanka, thanks to captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and veteran Mushfiqur Rahim, who both scored unbeaten centuries after a top-order collapse.
At stumps on Day 1 at the Galle International Stadium, the visitors stood strong at 292 for 3.
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Earlier in the morning, Bangladesh lost three wickets for just 45 runs—openers Anamul Haque Bijoy and Shadman Islam fell cheaply, followed by Mominul Haque after a brief resistance.
But the tide turned when Shanto and Mushfiqur combined for a masterclass in patience and application, putting together a 247-run unbroken partnership off 443 deliveries.
Captain Shanto led from the front, finishing the day on an unbeaten 136 off 260 balls, striking 14 fours and one six. His innings was a much-needed return to form, especially after being recently removed from the ODI and T20 captaincies.
He reached his 50 in 107 balls and went on to complete his century off 202 deliveries.
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On the other end, Mushfiq ended his personal drought with the bat. Having not scored a fifty in his last 14 innings, he looked in vintage touch, bringing up his 12th career century—his fourth against Sri Lanka—off 176 balls.
He earlier completed his half-century in 84 balls and remained unbeaten on 105 from 186 deliveries, including just five boundaries.
Their partnership is now threatening to break the national record for the fourth-wicket stand, which stands at 266 (Mominul and Mushfiqur vs Zimbabwe in 2018).
