“Liton Das returned to the pavilion after just scoring 256 runs. Nazmul Hossain Shanto took to the field as the second batsman. Despite this pressure, Shanto kept his cool.
In the end, unbeaten, he played a fantastic innings of 122 runs from 129 balls. Along this path, he formed two significant partnerships with Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim. With Riyad, he managed 69 runs off 62 balls, handling the crisis well. Later, he secured victory alongside Mushfiqur, scoring 165 runs off 175 balls. At the end of the match, both were credited with responsibility.
Shanto said, ‘The way Mahmudullah Riyad started his innings was very helpful to me. Then Mushfiq showed his experience – we all know his capability. I hope he maintains his form.’
After losing three wickets for 23 runs, what was the plan? Shanto replied, ‘We knew it would be tough with a new ball. So, I applied myself and took some time. The wicket became easier for us later.’
The bowling didn’t start well for Bangladesh. Sri Lanka scored 71 runs without losing a wicket. Then, Tanjim Hasan Sakib took three wickets and turned the tide. Initially, Taskin and Shoriful also took three wickets each.
Regarding this, the captain said, ‘I trust all our bowlers. I started with Taskin and Shoriful, even though such wickets were tough for them. But the way they came back, I am very happy.'”
