One-off Test: Najmul Hossain Shanto smokes twin centuries against Afghanistan
Najmul Hossain Shanto has scripted history with twin centuries in the ongoing one-off Test against Afghanistan. He became just the second Bangladesh batter to accomplish the feat after Mominul Haque. The left-handed batter backed his 175-ball 146 with another terrific ton. He ended up scoring 124 off 151 balls (15 fours). Here we look at his stats in whites.
A fiery knock from Shanto
Bangladesh's second innings in the contest saw Shanto arriving at number three with the scorecard reading 18/1. He joined forces with Zakir Hasan (71) and the duo made a mockery of Afghanistan bowlers with their attacking approach. They added 173 runs for the second wicket. Shanto touched the three-figure mark off just 115 balls. He eventually fell prey to spinner Zahir Khan.
Shanto joins this elite list
As mentioned, Shanto became only the second Bangladesh batter to accomplish twin tons in a Test. He joined former captain Mominul, who recorded scores worth 176 and 105 in the 2018 Chittagong Test against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Shanto is also the first batter to get the feat against the Afghan team. This was overall Shanton's fourth hundred in Test cricket.
Here are his stats
Shanto has emerged as a vital part of the Bangladesh team across formats lately. The left-handed batter has now raced to 1,283 runs in 23 Tests at 29.83. While this was Shanto's fourth Test ton, he also owns three fifties in the format. His tally of 843 international runs at 56.20 is the highest for a Bangladesh batter in 2023.
Bangladesh firmly placed on the driver's seat
Shanto (146) and Mahmudal Hasan Joy (76) starred with the bat as the hosts posted 382 while batting first at Dhaka's Shere Bangla National Stadium. Debutant Nijat Masood (5/79) claimed a fifer for Afghanistan. In reply, the visitors could only manage 146 thanks to Ebadot Hossain's 4/47. Bangladesh have now extended their lead past 500 runs with seven wickets in hand.
