Left-handed batters Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque showcased exceptional batting skills as they each scored a century in the second innings of the one-off Dhaka Test against Afghanistan on Friday.
Their centuries helped Bangladesh set a daunting target of 661 runs for Afghanistan, marking the highest lead Bangladesh have ever achieved in a Test match. The previous record lead for Bangladesh was 477 runs against Zimbabwe in 2021.
Bangladesh declared their second innings at 425 for four, with Mominul finishing unbeaten on 121 and captain Litton Das also remaining not out on 66.
Shanto, who scored 146 in the first innings, continued his excellent form with a score of 124 in the second innings. This remarkable accomplishment makes him the second Bangladeshi batsman to achieve the milestone of scoring centuries in both innings of a Test match, following in the footsteps of Mominul, who accomplished this feat against Sri Lanka in 2018.
In response, Afghanistan struggling chasing a mammoth total. They are standing at 45 runs by losing 2 wickets after day 3.
Earlier in the first innings of the match, Bangladesh posted a total of 382 runs, with Afghanistan's Nijat Masood making an impressive debut by claiming a five-wicket haul.
In response, Afghanistan struggled and were dismissed for a mere 146 runs, with Ebadot Hossain taking four wickets. Bangladesh gained a first-innings advantage of 234 runs, solidifying their dominant position in the match from an early stage.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
