GALLE, Sri Lanka: A record-breaking fourth-wicket partnership between captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim put Bangladesh in control at 292-3 on day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
After a wobbly start at Galle, the pair stitched together 247 runs — the highest fourth-wicket stand for Bangladesh in Tests against Sri Lanka — steering the tourists to a commanding position at stumps.
Having elected to bat first, Bangladesh were reeling at 45-3 when the duo came together.
What followed was a gritty rescue act— a partnership built on sound temperament, clever shot selection and an unflinching resolve as they dug their team out of early trouble.
Mushfiqur, the most capped Test player in Bangladesh history with 97 appearances, silenced his critics with a timely ton.
The veteran, under the pump after a lean patch spanning 13 innings without a half-century, rolled back the years with a knock of poise and purpose.
The 38-year-old has fond memories of Galle, having struck a monumental double hundred there in 2013, and once again turned tormentor-in-chief for the Sri Lankan bowlers.
He did enjoy a slice of luck — a tough chance spilled by debutant Tharindu Rathnayake on 25 — but made it count, navigating a nervy passage in the 90s, before scampering a quick single to notch up his 12th Test hundred.
Shanto, positive from the outset, kept the scoreboard ticking with deft footwork and a keen eye for the loose ball.
He brought up his sixth Test century — and second against Sri Lanka — with a cheeky paddle sweep off Prabath Jayasuriya, marking his first ton since November 2023.
Sri Lanka made early inroads with right-arm quick Asitha Fernando drawing first blood, removing opener Anamul Haque for a duck.
Off-spinner Rathnayake, handed his Test cap on the back of a prolific domestic season, struck twice in quick succession.
But once the Shanto-Mushfiqur duo got their eye in, it was one-way traffic.
Sri Lanka also handed a debut to opening batter Lahiru Udara, another domestic heavyweight, while the hosts paused before the start of play to congratulate retiring stalwart Angelo Mathews.
The 38-year-old Mathews, playing his 119th and final Test, will hang up his boots with over 8,000 runs, behind only Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in Sri Lanka’s all-time charts.
Mathews speaking before the start, said he was “extremely proud to have a wonderful journey, thankful for whoever was part of it.”
“Feeling quite special. Realizing that I have played over 100 Tests,” he added.
“Playing for the country was my dream; it has come true.”
The match is the first in the new two-year World Test Championship cycle.
The second Test begins in Colombo on June 25.
