Mushfiqur Rahim overcame Mohammad Ashraful to set a new Bangladeshi record on the first day of the Galle Test against Sri Lanka on June 17. The right-hander scored a stunning century, becoming Bangladesh’s best run-scorer in the longest version of the game on Sri Lankan territory.
Rahim currently has 755 runs (and counting) in 15 innings for an average of 68.63, including a century and five fifty-plus scores in Sri Lanka. Ashraful is second on the list, having scored 751 runs in 18 innings, followed by Tamim Iqbal, Mominul Haque, and Habibul Bashar.
Tamim has 556 runs in only 10 innings, Mominul has 428 runs in the same number of innings, and Bashar has 291 runs in 16 innings in Sri Lankan Tests. The wicketkeeper-batsman, who is nearing the twilight of his career, scored his 28th Test fifty and helped Bangladesh rebound from an early collapse in the ongoing Galle Test, which also marks Angelo Mathews’ retirement.
Mushfiqur Rahim, Shanto centuries put Bangladesh ahead
Rahim played one of the finest knocks of his Test career in the first innings at the Galle International Stadium. Walking in to bat at 45/3 after 16.1 overs, the right-handed batter stitched a fantastic 247-run partnership for the fourth wicket with his skipper at the other end. Rahim and Shanto batted flawlessly for over two sessions and ensured to put their team in the driver’s seat. While Shanto remained unbeaten on 136 off 260 at stumps, Rahimstood unbeaten on 105 off 186.
The ammoth partnership between the two helped Bangladesh end the day on a high, with a score of 292/3 after 90 overs. Sri Lanka felt the absence of the likes of Lahiru Kumara and Praveen Jayawickrama, as they failed to break the partnership that lasted for nearly two and a half sessions on the first day of the Galle Test.
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