Shanto makes history with twin centuries in Galle test

Bangladesh Test captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto has etched his name into cricket history with a rare feat — scoring centuries in both innings of a Test match.

The left-hander achieved the milestone in the ongoing Galle Test against Sri Lanka, becoming the first Bangladeshi player to do so and the 16th cricketer in Test history to reach the landmark as captain.

Shanto struck 148 in the first innings and followed it up with an unbeaten 125 in the second, displaying composure and resilience on a rain-affected final day. He reached his second hundred with a reverse sweep boundary off Tharindu Ratnayake, celebrating emotionally by raising his bat and helmet, and offering a prayer of thanks.

This performance places him alongside legends like Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar, Allan Border, Ian Chappell, and Ricky Ponting, who have also scored twin centuries in a Test while leading their sides. Ponting holds the record with three such performances, while Bradman was the first to achieve the feat back in 1948 against India.

For Shanto, this innings marks a powerful comeback after a challenging period with the bat. He was recently dropped from the ODI squad and stripped of the T20 captaincy due to poor form. However, retained as the Test captain for the Sri Lanka tour, Shanto silenced critics with a commanding performance.

With these two centuries, Shanto now has seven Test hundreds in 36 matches. The last instance of a player scoring twin centuries in a Test involving Bangladesh was by Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva in Sylhet last year.

Bangladesh declared their second innings on 285 for 6, setting up a strong position in the Test, largely thanks to their captain’s historic batting display.