Asia Cup 2023: Najmul Hossain Shanto breaks these records
Sri Lanka bowled out Bangladesh for a mere 164 in the second match of the 2023 Asia Cup at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Top-order batter Najmul Hossain Shanto turned out to be Bangladesh's lone warrior, having slammed a valiant 89. Notably, no other Bangladesh batter crossed the 20-run mark in the innings. Here are the key stats.
A valuable knock from Shanto
Shanto came to the middle in the innings' second over after Bangladesh elected to bat. The visitors lost three other batters before the 100-run mark. While the injury-affected Lankan bowling attack perturbed the Bangladesh batters, Shanto firmly held one end. Shanto completed his half-century off 66 balls in the 24th over. He also shared a 59-run stand with Towhid Hridoy.
Second-highest score for Bangladesh against SL in ODI Asia Cup
Shanto finally scored 89 off 122 balls, a knock laced with 7 fours. This is now the second-highest score for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in the ODI Asia Cup. As per Cricbuzz, Mushfiqur Rahim remains the only centurion in this regard (144 in Dubai, 2018). Shanto broke the record of Javed Omar, who scored an unbeaten 85 in Dhaka in 2000.
Another feat for Shanto
As per Cricbuzz, Shanto recorded the highest score by a number three batter for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in ODIs. He broke the record of Mohammad Ashraful, who smashed 75 in Mirpur in 2010.
Shanto enters this elite list
Shanto's 89 is now the third-highest score by a number three batter for Bangladesh in the ODI Asia Cup. He is only behind Ashraful (109 vs UAE, Lahore, 2008) and Junaid Siddique (97 vs PAK, Dambulla, 2010).
