Towhid Hridoy struck a magnificent century as Bangladesh produced a remarkable recovery from 22-3 to finish the opening day of the first Test against South Africa at 327-6 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Hridoy scored 137 before falling off the final delivery of the day, while Liton remained unbeaten on 92 to give Bangladesh a strong position heading into the second day.
The pair shared a record-breaking 206-run partnership for the sixth wicket, rescuing the visitors after Kagiso Rabada's devastating opening spell had threatened to derail their innings.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and elected to bat, but the decision initially looked costly as Rabada struck with the very first delivery of the innings, dismissing Test debutant Mahfijul Islam Robin for a golden duck.
The South African pace spearhead then removed Mominul Haque and Shanto in quick succession, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 22-3 in the ninth over.
Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Hridoy subsequently steadied the innings with a 99-run fourth-wicket partnership. Tanzid made a valuable 67 before Rabada broke the stand after lunch, dismissing the opener and Mushfiqur Rahim off consecutive deliveries to reduce Bangladesh to 121-5.
However, Hridoy and Liton had other plans as they launched an impressive counterattack against the South African bowling attack.
Hridoy continued his remarkable run of form, following his unbeaten 242 against West Indies in Bangladesh's previous Test assignment just 10 days ago. His 137 in Johannesburg made him only the second Bangladesh batter to score a Test century against South Africa, after Mahmudul Hasan Joy in 2022.
The century was also his second in consecutive Tests, underlining his growing stature in the Bangladesh batting line-up.
Liton provided excellent support at the other end, combining patience with timely aggression to frustrate the home attack. He remained unbeaten on 92 at stumps and will resume on Monday just eight runs away from his century.
Their 206-run stand was the highest partnership by a Bangladesh pair against South Africa for any wicket, while the visitors also registered their highest-ever Test total against the Proteas.
Rabada was the standout bowler for the hosts, finishing with 5-51, but the rest of the South African attack struggled to provide support. Dane Paterson, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder and Simon Harmer all went wicketless.
After being on the verge of a collapse in the morning, Bangladesh will head into the second day with renewed confidence, hoping Liton can complete his century and the lower order can further extend their impressive recovery.