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Bangladesh batting coach David Hemp applauded his batting unit after their dominating win over Sri Lanka yesterday in the first ODI of a three-match series in Chattogram.

Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto struck an unbeaten century to guide Bangladesh to a comfortable six-wicket triumph, as Shanto hit 122 not out off 129 balls, and was ably supported by one of his predecessors as captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, who was unbeaten on 73.

The pair added 165 in their unbroken fifth-wicket stand, saving Bangladesh from a potential mid-innings collapse, coming together at 92-4.

Shanto put on 69 for the fourth wicket with Mahmudullah Riyad to stave off the initial danger.

“Yesterday I thought was a fantastic chase. I think the important thing for us is that we didn't panic. So three for 23, and coming out of the power play then at 55. So still, with that mindset around scoring was really positive. Then we'll see the two key partnerships, one of 69, and then one of 165 was a fantastic chase. Obviously, individual contributions were really good, but for us, it was more around the mindset about staying calm and playing with control, which I thought we did,” Hemp said in a video sent by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

“I think Riyad’s [Mahmudullah], the way the approach that Riyad had, the ball was swinging. Sri Lanka targeting the stump. So that was a danger ball, but he made a conscious effort to get at the ball. So if you watch, you change the length, he came out the bowler. And I think that his approach shifted that emphasis. It took a little pressure off Shanto. And I think the partnership of 69, which sort of set that game up. We'll say, set the chase up, if you like. So I thought his approach took the bit of the ascendancy away from Sri Lanka and gave it back to us a touch,”

“Mushfiq didn't panic. He got himself in stuck to what he did well and then once he was in, obviously, he had scoring opportunities in terms of boundaries. He capitalized on that. That's the bit for us is we're always looking to score to make sure that you have scoring is not just about boundaries, also about singles and rotation. I thought we did that really well throughout the hole in it,” he added.

Shanto, who had walked in at number three, scored his highest individual score in ODIs, also played a strong captain role throughout the game.

“I think a couple of key things, I think again, captain leading from the front very important, taking on that responsibility, holding true to what we're talking about doing so about actions. And he led by his actions last night. And again, not just a hundred, but also his highest one day international score as well. So a really good day out for him as a as an individual player, but also as a captain of this team.”

The two sides meet again on Friday, and wrap up the series on Monday.