Towhid Hridoy's Unbeaten 242 Sets Bangladesh Test Record and Turns Sylhet Match

From 184 for seven to a first innings lead

Towhid Hridoy scored an unbeaten 242 from 359 balls on Saturday, setting Bangladesh's highest individual Test score and turning a threatened collapse into a 30-run first innings lead against West Indies in Sylhet. Playing only his third Test, he became the first Bangladesh batter to turn his maiden Test century into a double hundred.

Bangladesh finished on 386 in 111.5 overs after falling to 184 for seven in reply to West Indies' 356. With opener Shadman Islam unable to bat because of an ankle injury, Hridoy had only two available partners left. He helped add 202 runs with Taijul Islam and Taskin Ahmed before the innings ended.

West Indies reached seven without loss from four overs in their second innings before bad light stopped play on the third day. They remained 23 runs behind, with Brandon King unbeaten on five and Joshua Da Silva on two.

Hridoy's innings passed Mushfiqur Rahim's national record of 219 not out and included 22 fours and 11 sixes. His contribution accounted for 62.69% of Bangladesh's total. Mushfiqur, with 34, was the next highest scorer, a measure of how heavily the recovery depended on one batter.

A promising morning becomes a collapse

Bangladesh resumed the third day on 88 for three, with Hridoy on 29 from 80 balls. He and Mushfiqur initially made progress, extending their fourth wicket partnership to 78 before left arm spinner Jomel Warrican broke through.

Mushfiqur drove a flighted delivery towards cover, where Brandon King completed a diving catch. Mushfiqur departed for 34. Liton Das followed for eight after another drive against Warrican found King in the cover region.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz made 16 before attempting a paddle sweep against Roston Chase. Justin Greaves anticipated the shot, moved across from slip and completed the catch. Warrican then removed Hasan Mahmud for one, with a review confirming an edge behind.

Bangladesh had lost four wickets during the morning and were 184 for seven. Shadman's absence meant the innings could end with nine dismissals rather than the usual ten. West Indies were still 172 runs ahead, and the remaining specialist batter was Hridoy.

A first century under pressure

Hridoy reached his first Test fifty from 109 balls and his century from 171. By lunch, he was unbeaten on 100, having struck 11 fours and one six. Bangladesh were 205 for seven, still 151 runs behind.

Taijul had contributed one from 14 balls to an unbroken partnership of 21. His immediate task was to stay at the crease while Hridoy found ways to score. Bangladesh had added 117 runs during the morning, but the four dismissals left West Indies in control.

Hridoy celebrated his century by placing his helmet on the handle of his bat and raising it. The milestone was a major personal advance: he had made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in June and scored just 54 runs across his first two matches.

His first hundred also put Mominul Haque's Bangladesh record within reach. Mominul had scored 181 against New Zealand in Chattogram in 2013, previously the highest score by a Bangladesh batter when making a maiden Test century.

Taijul supplies the time Hridoy needs

Hridoy and Taijul added 117 from 167 balls for the eighth wicket. Taijul's share was 22 from 56 deliveries, but his occupation of the crease for about two hours and 20 minutes gave Hridoy room to attack without immediately exposing the last available batter.

The partnership was Bangladesh's third century stand for the eighth wicket and its second highest. The national record remained the 144 added by Mushfiqur and Mehidy against Zimbabwe in 2018. Hridoy and Taijul also became the first pair to put on a century for the eighth wicket in a Test at Sylhet.

West Indies had opportunities to interrupt the recovery. King dropped Taijul, while Hridoy survived a review on umpire's call. That term means the original decision stays in place when the ball tracking prediction falls within the review system's margin of uncertainty.

Warrican eventually had Taijul stumped when the batter could not get his foot back behind the crease. Bangladesh were 301 for eight. The partnership had reduced a deficit of 172 to 55, leaving Hridoy and Taskin with a much smaller gap to close.

The attack continues against the new ball

Hridoy increased the pressure after lunch, using boundary shots to keep the total moving and trying to retain the strike. Against Chase, he cleared the boundary over square leg and followed with further sixes. An uppercut against Shamar Joseph supplied another sign of his growing attacking range.

West Indies took the second new ball as soon as it became available after 80 overs. A new ball is harder and can give fast bowlers more movement and bounce. Taijul responded with boundaries against Jayden Seales and Joseph, while Hridoy took Seales for a four and a six in one over.

Seales struck Hridoy on the ribs with a short delivery in the 85th over. Hridoy went down in pain, then pulled the next ball for runs. He reached 150 from 235 deliveries with a four off Joseph and continued to push Bangladesh towards the West Indies total.

At tea, Bangladesh were 318 for eight, only 38 behind. Hridoy had reached 190 from 289 balls, with 18 fours and seven sixes. Taskin was on one, providing support as Hridoy approached a milestone no Bangladesh batter had previously reached with his first Test hundred.

A double hundred becomes a national record

Hridoy reached 200 from 304 balls with a single off Warrican in the fourth over after tea. His innings then contained 19 fours and seven sixes. He became Bangladesh's fourth Test double centurion, joining Mushfiqur, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.

Taskin was still on one when Hridoy completed his double hundred. Their partnership had reached 30 and eventually grew to 85 from 121 deliveries, carrying Bangladesh past 356 and into the lead.

Hridoy continued beyond the milestone, passing Mushfiqur's unbeaten 219 against Zimbabwe in Mirpur in 2018. He finished 23 runs above that previous national record. Shakib's 217 against New Zealand in Wellington in 2017 and Tamim's 206 against Pakistan in Khulna in 2015 were also surpassed.

Taskin's dismissal ended the innings when he top edged a pull against Seales and was caught at fine leg. Hridoy remained unbeaten on 242, having guided the final two available partnerships to a combined 202 runs.

The records behind the 242

Hridoy's 11 sixes set a Bangladesh record for a Test innings, passing Tamim's previous mark of seven. He finished one short of the world record of 12, shared by Pakistan's Wasim Akram and India's Yashasvi Jaiswal.

His 22 fours produced 88 runs and his 11 sixes another 66. Together, those boundaries supplied 154 runs, a Bangladesh record and almost 64% of his individual score. The remaining 88 runs came through running between the wickets.

Hridoy also scored 213 runs during the day, moving from his overnight 29 to 242. That exceeded Shakib's Bangladesh record of 212 runs in a single day by one. Bangladesh added 298 during Saturday's play, so Hridoy supplied more than seven out of every ten of those runs.

Sylhet gained its first Test double century. Hridoy passed Mahmudul Hasan Joy's previous ground record of 171 against Ireland and set Bangladesh's highest individual Test score against West Indies. His innings was also the first double century by a Bangladesh batter in the World Test Championship.

How the third day changed the match

West Indies had built their first innings of 356 around Amir Jangoo's 133, supported by Kevin Wickham's 61 and Greaves' 51. Hasan Mahmud led Bangladesh's bowling with six for 90, keeping the visitors within a total Bangladesh eventually overtook.

Warrican remained the leading West Indies bowler during Bangladesh's reply, finishing with four for 104. His morning wickets had brought a substantial lead within reach, but the visitors could not close out the innings before Hridoy transformed its direction.

Bangladesh's position changed by 202 runs from the fall of the seventh wicket: a deficit of 172 became a lead of 30. By the close, West Indies had reduced that advantage to 23 without losing a wicket. The match remained unfinished, with Bangladesh needing wickets and the visitors seeking to build a lead of their own.

Shadman's ankle injury, sustained while fielding on Friday, had already shortened Bangladesh's first innings. His availability to bat later in the match had not been confirmed.

The recovery, stage by stage

Hridoy's innings stretched across the second and third days, but most of its runs came during Saturday's recovery. The key stages show how gradually the balance shifted before Bangladesh moved ahead.

• Second day: Hridoy began his innings, and Bangladesh finished on 88 for three with him unbeaten on 29.
• Third morning: Bangladesh slipped to 184 for seven, with Shadman unavailable to bat.
• Lunch: Hridoy was 100 not out from 171 balls; Bangladesh were 205 for seven, trailing by 151.
• Tea: Hridoy had reached 190, and Bangladesh were 318 for eight, trailing by 38.
• After tea: Hridoy completed 200 from 304 balls before advancing to an unbeaten 242.
• Close: Bangladesh had made 386, and West Indies were seven without loss, still 23 behind.

Hridoy's second hundred took 133 balls, compared with 171 for his first. He then added another 42 from 55 deliveries. That acceleration, supported by Taijul and Taskin staying at the crease, allowed Bangladesh to move beyond survival and take a narrow advantage.

Key Points

• Towhid Hridoy finished unbeaten on 242 from 359 balls, Bangladesh's highest individual Test score.
• He became the first Bangladesh batter to turn a maiden Test century into a double hundred.
• Bangladesh recovered from 184 for seven to 386, taking a first innings lead of 30.
• Hridoy shared partnerships of 117 with Taijul Islam and 85 with Taskin Ahmed.
• His innings included 22 fours and a Bangladesh record of 11 sixes.
• West Indies closed the third day on seven without loss, trailing by 23 after bad light stopped play.