Liton Das hit his maiden Test century and restored himself from the recently finished T20 World Cup failure on the opening day of the first Test match against Pakistan at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram on Friday.
Experienced duo Mushfiqur and Liton hit an unbeaten 204-run partnership for the fifth wicket stand which drove Bangladesh to overcome the early setback.
A spectacular maiden Test hundred from Liton Das grabbed the limelight as the hosts fought back brilliantly after a wobbly start on Day 1 of the first of the two Test series between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Chattogram.
Opting to bat, Bangladesh got off to the worst possible start with their top four back in the pavilion inside the first 90 minutes of the game. At 49 for 4, the home team desperately needed a partnership to have any hopes of a comeback, and the experienced pair of Mushfiqur and Liton Das went on to prove why they have been among the best in the national side across formats.
The pair engineered a 204-run unbeaten partnership for the fifth wicket, denying Pakistan any wickets in the second and final session while at it. Though Liton got dropped on 67 by Sajid Khan, the 27-year-old made the most of some ordinary bowling from the lesser-experienced Pakistan bowlers who failed to persist with consistent line and length. The senior partner, Mushfiqur Rahim, played second fiddle but displayed tremendous application against spin to stand 18 short of his 8th Test ton.
Unless Pakistan take some early wickets on Day 2 with the second new ball - which is five overs old - the route to comeback seems tough as the pitch seems to have evened out after the first session.
Earlier in the day, opener Abdullah Shafique became the 246th player to represent Pakistan in Test cricket while the highly-rated 25-year-old Yasir Ali, who is slated to bat in the lower-middle order at 7, debuted for Bangladesh.
