Chittagong: Mushfiqur Rahim struck his eighth Test century and became the first Bangladeshi to pass 5,000 runs as the hosts took the upper hand in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Chittagong on Wednesday.
Bangladesh were all out for 465 runs with a first-innings lead of 68 when last man Shoriful Islam was unable to carry on his innings after a blow to the hand while batting.
Mushfiqur reached his career milestone in the morning session when he nudged Fernando towards fine-leg for two runs, to cheers from a sparse crowd at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
Capable players
“It is a great feeling to become the first Bangladeshi to reach 5,000 Test runs. But I am sure I am not the last one,” Mushfiqur said after the day’s play.
“There’ll be a lot of capable players among our seniors and juniors who can reach 8,000 or 10,000 runs.”
The 35-year old right-hander later glanced Fernando for his fourth boundary to bring up his hundred, making the most significant contribution in Bangladesh’s innings on the day with 105 off 282 balls before Embuldeniya bowled him in the third over of the final session.
Direct throw
Following the Bangladesh innings, Sri Lanka lost two early wickets to reach 39-2 in 17.1 overs in their second innings before stumps were drawn on the fourth day, reducing their deficit to 29.
Oshada Fernando was run out for 19 with a direct throw by Taijul Islam from midwicket.
The left-arm spinner later bowled nightwatchman Lasith Embuldeniya for two and stumps were taken immediately after with Dimuth Karunaratne 18 not out at the other end.
Embuldeniya was earlier given out caught at silly point off Taijul on the same score but he survived on review.
