Bangladesh Leads by 30 Runs Thanks to Hridoy’s Unbeaten 242

Records continue to tumble off Towhid Hridoy’s bat. The right-handed batter played a career-best innings against West Indies in the Sylhet Test, giving Bangladesh a crucial lead. Thanks to his unbeaten 242 runs, the hosts secured a 30-run lead in the first innings. At the end of the third day, Bangladesh’s score stood at 386 runs for 9 wickets.

In reply, West Indies started their second innings and scored 7 runs without losing any wickets. King remained unbeaten on 5 and Joshua Da Silva on 2, concluding the day’s play.

Bangladesh began the day batting on 88 runs for 3 wickets. Mushfiqur Rahim was at the crease with Towhid Hridoy, who was unbeaten on 29 from the previous day. Although both attempted to build an early resistance, Mushfiqur’s stay was short-lived. He was dismissed attempting a drive off spinner Warrican’s delivery, not Justin Greaves’. Subsequently, Litton Das returned to the pavilion, beaten by Warrican’s spin, scoring just 8 runs.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud also failed to stay at the wicket for long. At one point, Bangladesh faced the prospect of falling behind by over a hundred runs. However, Hridoy held firm at one end, continuing his counter-attack. He steadily built his innings, not only guiding the team out of danger but also making history.

The record for the highest individual innings for Bangladesh in Tests now belongs to Hridoy. Previously, this record was held by Mushfiqur Rahim, who scored 219 runs against Zimbabwe in 2018. Hridoy surpassed that milestone, finishing on 242 runs.

Hridoy also set the record for the highest runs scored by a Bangladeshi batter in a single day of a Test match. He alone added 213 runs on the third day. Previously, Shakib Al Hasan had scored 212 runs in a single day against New Zealand in 2017.

Hridoy also achieved a unique feat in terms of hitting sixes. His innings of 242 runs included 11 maximums. Only two batters have hit more sixes in a single Test innings—Wasim Akram and Yashasvi Jaiswal, both with 12 sixes.

The resistance from the lower-order batters played a significant role in Hridoy’s brilliant innings. Particularly, his 117-run partnership with Taijul Islam for the eighth wicket brought Bangladesh back into the match. Although Taijul departed after scoring 22 runs, Hridoy continued the fight.

He later formed an 85-run partnership for the ninth wicket with Taskin Ahmed. When Taskin was dismissed after scoring 12 runs off 29 balls, Bangladesh’s innings concluded. Shadman Islam could not bat in the first innings due to injury. As a result, Bangladesh’s innings ended at 386 runs for 9 wickets.

In his unbeaten innings of 359 balls, Hridoy hit 22 fours in addition to 11 sixes. Relying on his magnificent batting, Bangladesh ended the day 30 runs ahead of West Indies in the first innings.

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