Najmul Shanto becomes first Bangladeshi with ton on captaincy debut
Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto led the charge for Bangladesh on Day 3 of the ongoing 1st Test against New Zealand in Sylhet. The left-handed batter slammed a composed century, extending Bangladesh's second-innings lead by over 200 runs. He shared crucial stands with Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim in the process. Shanto is the first Bangladesh player to score a Test ton on captaincy debut.
A brilliant ton from Shanto
Shanto came to the middle after Bangladesh lost Zakir Hasan for just 23 runs on the board. Mahmudul Hasan Joy also departed within a span of 11 deliveries. Shanto then took Bangladesh past 100 along with Mominul Haque. Rahim then joined the former as Bangladesh crossed the 200-run mark. Shanto brought up his ton in the day's final over and returned unbeaten on 104.
Shanto enters record books
According to Cricbuzz, Shanto has become the first Bangladesh player to score a century in the format on their captaincy debut. The Bangladesh batter has played 193 balls and scored 10 boundaries as of now.
First Bangladesh player with this feat
Shanto has been in sublime form of late. His last four scores in Test cricket read 104*, 37, 124, and 146. As per Rajneesh Gupta, Shanto has become the first Bangladesh player to score three centuries in four Test innings. He has raced past 1,400 runs in 24 Tests and averages over 30. The tally includes eight fifty-plus scores.
Quickest to five Test tons for Bangladesh
As mentioned, Shanto now has five centuries in Test cricket. He has become the quickest to score five Test centuries for Bangladesh, achieving this mark in 24 Tests. He broke the record of Mominul, who 26 took Tests for scoring five tons.
