Left-handed batters Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque showcased exceptional batting skills as they each scored a century in the second innings of the one-off Dhaka Test against Afghanistan on Friday.

Their centuries helped Bangladesh set a daunting target of 661 runs for Afghanistan, marking the highest lead Bangladesh have ever achieved in a Test match. The previous record lead for Bangladesh was 477 runs against Zimbabwe in 2021.

Shanto, who scored 146 in the first innings, continued his excellent form with a score of 124 in the second innings. This remarkable accomplishment makes him the second Bangladeshi batsman to achieve the milestone of scoring centuries in both innings of a Test match, following in the footsteps of Mominul, who accomplished this feat against Sri Lanka in 2018.

In response, Afghanistan struggling chasing a mammoth total. They are standing at 45 runs by losing 2 wickets after day 3.

Earlier in the first innings of the match, Bangladesh posted a total of 382 runs, with Afghanistan's Nijat Masood making an impressive debut by claiming a five-wicket haul.

In response, Afghanistan struggled and were dismissed for a mere 146 runs, with Ebadot Hossain taking four wickets. Bangladesh gained a first-innings advantage of 234 runs, solidifying their dominant position in the match from an early stage.

Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan