Red-hot Shanto century has Bangladesh looking peachy

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Day 1 - Session 3: Afghanistan chose to field.

Tea Bangladesh 235 for 2 (Shanto 126*, Joy 76, Rahmat 1-26) v Afghanistan

Najmul Hossain Shanto's third Test century powered Bangladesh to a comfortable 235 for 2 at tea on the first day of the Dhaka Test. Shanto raced to the three-figure mark midway through the second session, acting as the enforcer of a 212-run second-wicket stand with Mahmudul Hasan Joy.

This was Shanto's first hundred in almost two years, and his first one at home. He got there in just 118 balls. Joy complemented him with a steady 76 although his innings was cut short when his concentration lapsed against part-timer Rahmat Shah. Shanto has now been involved in Bangladesh's last four 100-plus stands for the second wicket, the last one also between the same pair during Bangladesh's Mount Maunganui miracle.

Afghanistan's session got worse, as they conceded overthrows and misfields and offered many full-tosses and half-trackers. None of their frontline bowlers could muster up a dismissal, with only Hamza Hotak finding Shanto's edge, only for it to squirt through for a four.

Shanto had already struck 11 fours in the first session, and there was no let-up after lunch. He struck Nijat Masood for three fours in the third over after the break, slamming him through the covers twice, and pulling him once. He followed that up with two more fours off Hotak in the following over, before a thumping straight drive off Karim Janat.

Accumulating at the other end, Joy reached his fifty by taking five runs off a Zahir Khan legbreak in the 35th over. In that instance, Afghanistan's fielding fell through. They conceded a couple of overthrows as the batters ran all five much to the small crowd's glee. Interestingly, the sightscreen in Mirpur had turned black for that particular delivery too.

A couple of overs later, Shanto got to his century in a more conventional manner - a quickly run single. He slammed Hotak for another four in the same over, before edging him between wicketkeeper and slip for a lucky four. The left-hander had been full of intent from the moment he came to the crease.

As the Afghanistan bowling offered a full-toss or a long-hop almost every over, Shanto got Bangladesh's first six of the innings off Rahmat, before Joy struck a beautiful four through the covers off Zahir in the following over. Then, against the run of play, Rahmat broke through Joy's defences. He bowled a wide long-hop to Joy, who edged it to slip where Ibrahim Zadran took a fine catch diving to his right. It was an ordinary dismissal for a batter who must have felt he too was on course for a hundred.

Mominul Haque survived two close lbw shouts before another Rahmat freebie, a full-toss on leg-stump, allowed him his first boundary.

Afghanistan's only success in the first session was Nijat taking a wicket with his first ball of his Test career. The fast bowler got one to move swiftly away from the left-handed Zakir Hasan who tried to get the bat out of the ball's way, but it took the edge nonetheless.

The decision however needed the assistance of the DRS after the on-field umpire gave it not out, while the batter, Zakir, remained steadfast without even looking behind. Masood became the first Afghanistan bowler to take a Test wicket with his first ball, the second against Bangladesh, and the seventh in this century to do so.

But Shanto spoiled the visitors' mood with a flurry of boundaries in his first hour at the crease. He spanked fast bowler Yamin Ahmadzai for two fours in the third over, before he struck Masood for three more. He welcomed Zahir with three fours too in his first spell.

Joy joined in on the boundary hitting belatedly, but it was still Shanto who really went after the bowlers. Zahir's long-hop in the 20th over got Shanto to his fifty before Joy on-drove twice later in the same over.

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