How Shanto's calm under pressure powered Tigers to decisive Test triumph

FE Team | Published: May 12, 2026 23:26:12

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto spearheaded a calculated batting display before a bold declaration handed Pakistan a massive 104-run defeat in the first Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the city on Tuesday, report agencies.
The captain led from the front, posting the top scores of both Bangladeshi innings to steady the team after early losses of wickets.
With the century, Shanto also broke the record of the most tons from a Bangladeshi captain in the Test format.
With rain having curtailed play, the game seemed poised for a draw at the start of play on Tuesday.
But Shanto decided to chase the win, a decision that could have seen the Tigers lose the contest.
It wasn't all smooth sailing. While the aggressive approach put runs on the board, the Pakistani bowlers took their chances to pick off wickets as well.
Earlier, the hosts declared their second innings at 240-9 shortly before lunch, giving their bowlers approximately 75 overs to secure a 1-0 series lead.
Shanto, who hit a masterful century in the first innings, fell just 13 runs short of a rare twin-ton. His 87 off 150 balls anchored the innings through a fluctuating morning session. When Shanto was eventually trapped leg-before by Noman Ali, it signaled a shift in strategy.
Rather than batting a bit more with one wicket remaining, the Bangladesh management opted for a proactive declaration at 240-9, capitalizing on a 27-run first-innings cushion to set a target of 268.
The penultimate day's play had been heavily truncated by monsoon rain and poor light, which threatened to force a stalemate.
However, the aggression shown by the middle order on the final morning revived hopes of a result.
Mominul Haque's disciplined 56 and Shanto's resilience ensured the lead crossed the critical 250-mark, a threshold historically difficult to chase at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
On a tense fifth evening at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, the hosts combined discipline, aggression and nerve to decisively force the match in their favour, with Shanto once again anchoring the innings through a calm and disciplined effort under pressure.
Meanwhile, Shanto added another milestone to his growing leadership record after guiding the team to victory over Pakistan in the Mirpur Test, becoming the country's fastest captain to register seven Test wins.
The triumph was Shanto's seventh victory in just 17 matches as Bangladesh skipper, surpassing the previous record held by Mushfiqur Rahim, who needed 34 Tests to achieve the same number of wins.
Under Mushfiqur's captaincy, Bangladesh won seven matches, lost 18, and drew nine. In contrast, Shanto has already secured seven wins alongside one draw, while Bangladesh lost the remaining nine matches under his leadership.
The latest win against Pakistan further demonstrated Shanto's impressive rise as a Test captain, with the left-handed batter also contributing heavily with the bat throughout the series.
Former all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan remains Bangladesh's third-most successful Test captain with four victories from 19 matches. Mominul Haque follows with three wins as captain. Among other Bangladesh captains, Habibul Bashar Sumon, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz have each recorded one Test victory.
Shanto currently holds the best success rate among Bangladesh captains who have led the side in more than one match. Mashrafe and Liton led the team to victory, captaining in just one game.
Moreover, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto came agonizingly close to entering an exclusive world record list that includes just three cricketers.
Shanto scored 101 and 87 runs in the two innings against Pakistan in the opening Test, playing an important role in helping the side seal a crushing 104-run victory.
A century in the second innings would have seen him join the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting, and David Warner, who have scored centuries in both innings three times.
Shanto already holds the record of scoring centuries in both innings of a Test match twice in his career.
He first achieved the feat against Afghanistan in Mirpur in 2023 with scores of 146 and 124, steering the side to a record 546-run victory.
He replicated the achievement in Galle against Sri Lanka in June 2025 with innings of 148 and 125, although that match ended in a draw.
Had Shanto converted his 87 into a century, he would have become only the fourth batter in Test history to score hundreds in both innings of a match on three separate occasions.