Sports Correspondent: Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim both scored centuries, forming a record-breaking partnership of 247 runs as Bangladesh took control on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on Tuesday.
Bangladesh posted 292-3 in 90 overs as both Shanto and Mushfiq were unbeaten on 136 and 105, respectively, at stumps, which marked the start of a new cycle of the World Test Championship.
Their unbroken partnership was the highest for the fourth wicket for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka and the second highest against any opposition. It was an unusual Galle surface, as it remained true throughout the day despite the history of spin dominance. However, there were enough purchases for both pacers and spinners at the beginning as Bangladesh slipped to 45-3 in the 17th over.
Opting to bat first, Bangladesh lost opener Anamul Haque early when he was caught off pacer Asitha Fernando without scoring.
Two left-handers, Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque, steadied the ship for a bit as the latter was looking particularly comfortable.
But debutant ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Rathnayake struck twice in his consecutive deliveries spanning two overs to dismiss Shadman and Mominul, who both were caught at slip.
But Shanto and Mushfiq grinded it out for the visitors to pass the tough phase and soon started to dominate a relatively weaker Sri Lankan bowling lineup.
Bangladesh went to lunch break on 90-3 as both Shanto and Mushfiq were unbeaten in their 20s.
They reached their respective fifties in the second session, which yielded 92 runs without any wickets. Shanto and Mushfiq both reached their hundreds in the last session, which was also wicketless.
Shanto, positive from the outset, kept the scoreboard ticking with deft footwork and a keen eye for the loose ball.
He brought up his sixth Test century – and second against Sri Lanka – with a cheeky paddle sweep off Prabath Jayasuriya, marking his first ton since November 2023.
His older statesman Mushfiq followed suit with an inside edge off Fernando with four overs remaining on the day.
This was Mushfiq’s 12th ton in Tests as he reached three figures for the first time since his 191 against Pakistan last year.
At that point, Sri Lanka had taken the second new ball and used two of their reviews, but they were unsuccessful in getting any wickets.
Shanto hit 14 fours and one six, while Mushfiq was heavily dependent on running between the wickets, as he hit just five boundaries in his innings so far.
Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya De Silva brought Rathnayake in as early as the eighth over, but he remained wicketless since his double strike in the 16th and 17th overs.
Bangladesh only managed a solitary win and five draws against Sri Lanka so far, who have won 20 of the 26 Tests between the two.
