It was a double celebration for the young right-hander Ashraful, who later on the third day scored only his second hundred. He surpassed Aminul Islam (145) as Bangladesh's highest Test scorer.

Test cricket's youngest centurion on debut Ashraful on way to reaching 158 not out in Bangladesh's first innings, joined skipper Habibul Bashar and opener Javed Omar in the elite club.

The talented right-hander started the day 49 runs short of the mark but reached the magical mark pushing leg-spinner Anil Kumble for two runs.

Bangladesh vice-captain Khaled Mashud's path to the 1,000-run mark was less dramatic as the Rajshahi wicketkeper required only 20 runs which he duly got before being dismissed for 22 off the bowling of left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan. Mashud however was unlucky being adjudged caught behind as TV replays suggested that the ball made no contact with the bat.

Bangladeshis Zaheer's first & 100th

Getting 100 Test wickets is the first target of any aspiring bowler. And Indian left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan has joined that exclusive club when he trapped Manzarul Islam lbw for a duck on the third day of the second Test at the MA Aziz Stadium yesterday.

Playing in his 37th Test, the Maharashtra cricketer had to wait longer than expected to achieve the milestone mainly due a magnificent century by Mohammad Ashraful.

It was not until the 72nd over that the left-arm seamer got the all-important wicket in a country where he started his Test career four years ago which was also Bangladesh's Inaugural Test.

Zaheer took his first wicket at Dhaka's Bangabandhu National Stadium in November 2000 and the batsman on that occasion was opener Mehrab Hossain.

Zaheer, whose best figures in a match is 8 for 138 (5/29 in an innings) against New Zealand, could have claimed his 100th wicket a couple of overs earlier had VVS Laxman not dropped centurion Ashraful at mid-wicket.