Towhid Hridoy delivered a masterful performance in only his third Test match, etching his name into the history books with a record-breaking unbeaten 242 against the West Indies. His marathon innings, spanning 359 balls, stands as the highest individual score by a Bangladeshi batter, surpassing the previous record of 219 held by Mushfiqur Rahim.
The young batter’s display of power and precision included 22 boundaries and 11 sixes, setting a new national record for the most sixes in a single Test innings—a mark previously held by Tamim Iqbal with seven. Hridoy is now just the fourth player from his country to notch a Test double century, joining an elite group that includes Mushfiqur, Tamim, and Shakib Al Hasan. Hridoy, who resumed the day on 29 runs, hit 22 fours and 11 sixes, the most sixes by a Bangladeshi in a Test innings, surpassing Tamim Iqbal’s record of seven.
The remarkable effort provided a vital rescue for the hosts, who had slumped into a precarious position before Hridoy orchestrated a turnaround. He anchored the innings through critical partnerships, sharing a century-run stand with Taijul Islam for the eighth wicket before continuing his momentum alongside Taskin Ahmed to secure a first-innings lead. Before Hridoy came up with a rescue act to help the host earn a slim first-innings lead, bangladesh were in deep trouble at one point.
West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican admitted his team was caught off guard by the brilliance of the innings. “We were in the ascendancy and things were going our way, but Hridoy batted well. The way he batted was special. We have to give him credit,” Warrican stated. He lauded the batter’s ability to manage the game and handle the pressure of the tail-end partnerships, adding that the visitors were ultimately surprised by the scale of the Bangladesh recovery.
Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons expressed his satisfaction with how Hridoy utilized his opportunity after replacing an injured Mominul Haque. “I think it’s what we asked for from players to take the opportunity and make sure that when they get the chance, they make use of it,” Simmons noted. He emphasized that the batter’s decision-making in the middle was entirely his own work. “We were thinking about what lead we could have got or how big the lead could have been.
“It was an unbelievable innings in the end. Even when they were out on the boundary, he was still able to find the ropes and hit sixes, even when he started getting tired near the double hundred,” the coach said. Simmons praised Hridoy’s tactical awareness, specifically regarding when to rotate the strike with the lower-order batters.
Addressing his philosophy on coaching, Simmons explained that he prefers not to send tactical messages once a player is at the crease. “I don’t give batsmen messages on how they should bat with their talents because when they cross the rope, they are in charge. Everything he did is from his own mind,” he added. “When you are batting there I can’t send messages on how to bat as I am in the dressing room.
Reflecting on the progress shown by the newcomer, Simmons observed that Hridoy is maturing rapidly. While the batter played some aggressive shots in the previous match in Dhaka, the coach dismissed these as growing pains inherent in a young career, noting that the double century is proof of his quick development and ability to handle high-pressure situations independently. I think that he is quickly maturing and we saw that today,” he concluded.
