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Towhid Hridoy produced a remarkable rescue act, converting his maiden Test century into a double hundred to put Bangladesh in a strong position against the West Indies in the second Test in Sylhet.
The right-hander reached the 200-run milestone by pushing West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican towards mid-on for two runs, sparking wild celebrations at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
Bangladesh were struggling at 184-7 in their first innings on the third day after the visitors had posted 356. With Sadman Islam unable to bat due to injury, Hridoy was virtually the last recognised batter.
However, he joined Taijul Islam to stage a remarkable fightback and turn the course of the innings.
Earlier, Hridoy had shared a crucial 78-run partnership with Mushfiqur Rahim, who scored 34 before departing. The situation became increasingly difficult as Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud also fell cheaply.
Hridoy, however, remained composed under pressure, initially focusing on survival before shifting gears and taking the attack to the West Indies bowlers.
He reached his maiden Test century off 171 balls before accelerating his scoring rate. Alongside Taijul, he added 117 runs for the eighth wicket, the highest eighth-wicket partnership in a Test at the Sylhet venue.
Taijul provided valuable support, while Hridoy took charge of the attack, hitting boundaries and sixes to put the visitors under pressure.
Hridoy brought up his 150 off 235 balls and then raced to 190 off 289 deliveries, with 18 fours and seven sixes.
Bangladesh went to the tea break at 318-8, before Hridoy completed his double century off 304 balls after resuming play.
He became the first Bangladeshi batter to convert his maiden Test century into a double hundred. He is also only the fourth Bangladeshi to score a Test double century, joining Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.
Hridoy also surpassed Mominul Haque’s 181 against New Zealand in 2013 to record the highest score by a Bangladeshi batter in his maiden Test century.
He became the first batter to score a Test double century at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium and registered Bangladesh’s first double century in the history of the ICC World Test Championship.
The innings also saw Hridoy set a new national record for the most sixes by a Bangladeshi batter in a single Test innings. His eight sixes surpassed the previous record of seven, jointly associated with Tamim Iqbal.
