Bangladesh has a new king of captains: Shanto hits record 5th test century

Najmul Hossain Shanto etched his name into Bangladesh cricket history with a record breaking century on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan at the Sher e Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Friday.

Leading from the front, the Bangladesh skipper produced a superb 101 off 130 balls, laced with 12 boundaries and two sixes, as the hosts completely dominated the day’s play.

The century was Shanto’s fifth in Test cricket as Bangladesh captain, the most by any skipper from the country in the format. In doing so, he surpassed former captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who previously held the record with four Test hundreds as captain. Mominul Haque is third on the list with three centuries.

Most Test centuries as Bangladesh captain:

• Najmul Hossain Shanto – 5

• Mushfiqur Rahim – 4

• Mominul Haque – 3

The innings also marked Shanto’s ninth Test century overall and further highlighted his rise as one of Bangladesh’s most important batters in the longer format.

Shanto first rose to prominence as a teenage cricket sensation after scoring a double century at school level before representing Bangladesh in the 2014 and 2016 ICC Under 19 World Cups.

At the domestic level, the left hand batter has been a regular performer for Rajshahi Division and has also represented multiple Bangladesh Premier League franchises, including Sylhet Strikers and Fortune Barishal.

The Bangladesh captain looked in complete control for most of his innings, timing the ball beautifully and keeping Pakistan’s bowlers under pressure. His only lapse came immediately after reaching the three figure mark, as he lost concentration and was trapped lbw by Abbas soon after completing the century.

Bangladesh enjoyed complete control across all three sessions and ended the opening day in a commanding position at 301 for 4 in 85 overs. Mominul Haque also made an important contribution, while the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim remained unbeaten at stumps to put the hosts firmly on top.