Liton notches maiden Test ton before bad light ends play

Stumps: The partnership between Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim reached 203 before stumps were called on Day 1. Liton had been struggling with back and hand cramps before he reached his maiden Test ton but was able to grind through the rest of the session to reach close of play unbeaten on 113. Mushfiqur Rahim is unbeaten on 82 as Bangladesh reach 253 for four in 85 overs. 

Earlier, Pakistan had taken control of the proceedings, picking up the wickets of four top-order Bangladesh batters in the first session. Following steady and methodical recovery work, Liton and Mushy pushed their advantage in the second session before the former notched his ton. Having scored at 3 per over in the second and third session, Bangladesh have left Pakistan wicket-less from the 17th over onwards. 

Liton notches maiden Test ton

Liton Das capitalised on the stroke of luck after being dropped on 67 to notch his maiden Test ton. Before that dropped catch, there were hardly any rash shots. Watchful at the beginning, Liton bided his time to see out the first session and along with Mushfiqur Rahim then started picking up the pace, playing shots all over the wicket.

There was some anxiety once he reached his career-best score of 96. The physio ran out to the pitch after the right-hander faced discomfort due to muscle cramps with Pakistan captain Babar Azam helping out with some hand stretches as well. Liton dealt with the break in concentration well and inched towards the magic figure with singles. However, on 99, he decided on a little push-and-run towards mid-off and then dove to non-striker's end with the throw missing the stumps, surviving a close call to complete his hundred.

Liton's maiden ton was laced with 10 fours and a six. Following Bangladesh's T20 World Cup debacle, Liton faced a lot of criticism. Dropped from the T20 lineup, Liton made a statement with his maiden Test ton and the relief on his face too was apparent once he reached three-figure mark. 

Liton dropped before 150-run stand comes up

Liton Das has been dropped on 67 by Sajid Khan at mid on off a Shaheen Shah delivery in the 65th over after the Tea session. Shaheen was testing both batters with some short stuff, with the old ball not providing much to the bowlers. Liton pulled away the Shaheen delivery but found the man at mid on. Straight in straight out. Lucky for Bangladesh and Liton, who has so far played a level-headed knock. 

Following the slice of luck, Liton brought up the 150 stand between him and Mushfiqur. It has been a terrific fightback from the duo as the third session progresses. Bangladesh are 200 for 4 in 68 overs. 

Mushfiqur, Liton fifties see Bangladesh fight back 

Tea: A very good session for Bangladesh as they reached Tea on Day 1 at 171 for four. Liton Das  played out the last over of the second session bowled by Hasan Ali as the partnership between him and Mushfiqur stands at 122 off 256 deliveries. It had been a bumpy ride for the Tigers in the first session after the early loss of four wickets but Liton (62) and Mushfiqur (55) saw out the difficult period and capitalised on what looks like a good batting track. Both batsmen remain unbeaten on fifties at Tea. 

Earlier, having reached his fifty, Liton Das drove Nauman Ali for four to bring up the century stand between him and Mushfiqur Rahim. 

The century stand came in 187 deliveries with both batsman looking more fluent since the end of the first session where Bangladesh lost four wickets. Following the century stand, Mushfiqur Rahim reached his fifty off 107 deliveries with a boundary off Hasan Ali in the 53rd over. Mushfiqur's fifty is laced with eight fours.

Liton  was quietly gaining in confidence in the second session of Day 1. He reached his fifty off 95 deliveries, cutting away a Nauman Ali delivery for four to reach the landmark in the 49th over. Liton started stating his intent against the spinners, picking up a flighted delivery by Sajid Khan in the 46th over to notch the first six of the Bangladesh innings. Liton's fifty is laced with six fours and a six. 

Mushy becomes Bangladesh's top run-getter in Tests

Mushfiqur Rahim also reached a big landmark as he went past Tamim Iqbal's haul of 2620 runs to become the highest run-getter in the Test format for the Tigers. Mushfiqur had started the day 18 runs short of Tamim's haul. The Tigers have been able to absorb the pressure and the two batsman in the middle are putting the pressure back on Pakistan as the day progresses.

Mushy-Liton absorb pressure in fifty stand

Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das were able to absorb early pressure from the first session and string together an unbeaten fifty stand. Bangladesh were in deep trouble in the first session, losing four top-order batsmen for 49 runs inside 17 overs. Mushfiqur was very patient initially while Liton showed good presence of mind and the duo, having seen out the first session, are now looking quite comfortable out in the middle. 

Mushfiqur cut away a Shaheen Shah delivery through point in the 39th over to bring up the fifty partnership with Liton. The duo have also been able to pick up the odd boundaries whenever loose deliveries on offer as the wicket provided less deviation to the seamers than earlier on the day. Spinner have gotten some sharp turns while there is also some good bounce on offer. However, the wicket looks quite good for batting as the day progressed and Liton (30 off 64) and Mushfiqur (25 off 80) will look to capitalise and Bangladesh reached 108 for four after 40 overs on Day 1.