Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto struck a fine century to guide his side to a commanding position against Pakistan on the opening day of the Dhaka Test on Friday.
At stumps, Bangladesh were strongly placed at 301 for four after their batters dominated Pakistan’s bowling attack after a brief setback when both openers, Mahmadul Hasan Joy and Shadman Islam, got out early after scoring eight and 13 runs respectively.
Shanto led from the front with a composed 101 off 130 balls, anchoring the innings with fluent stroke play and solid partnerships.
He received strong support from Mominul Haque, who narrowly missed out on a century after scoring 91 runs.
Veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim remained unbeaten on 48 at the close of play and will look to extend Bangladesh’s advantage on the second day.
Pakistan’s bowlers struggled to make regular breakthroughs, with Mohammad Abbas, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Nauman Ali taking one wicket each.
Earlier, Pakistan captain Shan Masood won the toss and chose to field in the opening match of the two-Test series against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Friday.
The visitors were without star batter Babar Azam, ruled out with a left knee injury, and handed Test debuts to top-order batsmen Abdullah Fazal and Azan Awais.
Veteran seamer Mohammad Abbas returned to the XI alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali, with Noman Ali the sole specialist spinner.
For Bangladesh, Taskin Ahmed returned to Test cricket for the first time since December 2024 after being sidelined because of injury.
Nahid Rana and Ebadot Hossain complete the pace attack, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam will handle the spin duties.
Teams
Pakistan: Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Fazal, Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Noman Ali, Hassan Ali, Muhammad Abbas
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Md Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Kumar Das (wk), Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Md Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury