From the selection hot seat to the history books, Towhid Hridoy's heart-filled 242 turned a Bangladesh collapse into a record-breaking rescue act

Mohammad Isam

Published: Nov 7, 2026, 3:51 PM (7 hrs ago)

There were moments on Saturday under the early evening light in Sylhet, when Towhid Hridoy's gait, stance and demeanour would have been right in place for a pick-up game.

He had his match shirt hanging out loosely. Cramps probably took over by then, so Hridoy wasn't' committing on the foot work fully every time. He would meet the ball with the full face of the bat, but only just. He would leave the ball very matter-of-factly, not even looking back at the wicketkeeper to follow the path of the ball. Hridoy would run down the wicket, slam a six, then quietly turn back to his crease. It was only when he played the square cut with authority, that he looked like he was in a Test match.

West Indies' bowlers could only wonder where it all went wrong. Captain Roston Chase continuously held a scowl. West Indies went from potentially taking a 170-run lead one minute, to chasing the ball all day, and giving away a 30-run lead.

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Hridoy, meanwhile, kept finding the boundary. It was a one-man show that turned the Sylhet Test on its head. He broke several Bangladesh batting records on the way.

It remains to be seen just how crucial this innings will prove to be in the context of this Test. But if you only consider Hridoy's circumstances coming into this game, add the situation from which he lifted Bangladesh, and look at the highlights reel of his shots, we may just have potentially witnessed a GOAT innings in Bangladesh cricket.

Hridoy might not even have played in Sylhet. His calamitous dismissals in Dhaka last week raised a few eyebrows, particularly when he holed out to mid-on in the second innings with Bangladesh in trouble at the time. He was Mushfiqur Rahim's replacement in Dhaka, and effectively played in place of Mominul Haque in Sylhet after the left-hander had a head injury in the Dhaka Test.

Hridoy had recently scored an unbeaten 350 against South Africa A in Potchefstroom, but many believed that he didn't attune his mentality into the longer format properly. This eight-hour epic in Sylhet certainly brings him up to speed to the Test mindset.

Bangladesh had looked down and out when Hasan Mahmud's dismissal made it 184 for 7. They were trailing by 172 runs, staring down another likely Test defeat, after getting outplayed in Dhaka. In addition, there was the ignominy of another set of batters falling to soft dismissals. Not to forget, Bangladesh are playing this Test with an injured Shadman Islam who was at the hotel resting his ankle that he twisted the previous day.

In terms of match circumstances, West Indies were in full control. Even when Hridoy reached his century in the last over before lunch, it didn't pose any immediate threat for West Indies. But Bangladesh had at least something to talk about. In those five overs between Mahmud's dismissal and the lunch break, Hridoy figured out that shifting to a higher gear was the only way to score some more runs. Shortly after returning to the crease, he played an upper cut off Shamar Joseph and clattered three sixes off Chase in the space of a few overs.

Hridoy's real test though was going to be the second new ball. He would have to take on the West Indies pace duo of Joseph and Jayden Seales, who till this point, had bowled with much pace and discipline. Hridoy also had to protect Taijul Islam from the pacers.

To his credit, he didn't back down from his newfound aggression. When he took down Seales, in the third over with the new ball, with a square-cut four a bash down the ground off consecutive balls, Hridoy was on his way.

Shortly afterwards, he struck Joseph for consecutive fours with a cut and pull. Chase brought Bishop into the attack to give Seales a break. Hridoy struck him for a straight six first ball. Bangladesh reached 300 runs within a few more overs, although around the same time, Taijul was stumped off Warrican for 22.

The end of a 117-run partnership for the eighth wicket could have slowed down Hridoy, but he went in the opposite direction. Off the last two balls of the second session, he climbed into Warrican for a straight six, his seventh of the innings, followed by an almighty swing of the bat that took the outside edge for four.

He raced towards his double-hundred after tea, and then the Bangladesh record for the highest individual score. If it wasn't for Taskin Ahmed's poor shot selection, Hridoy may well have batted through to stumps.

The fact that Hridoy made all these runs despite giving away up to 50 singles as he was trying to protect the batter at the other end is going to slip under the radar. It further highlights just how well he tackled a backs-to-the-wall situation.

What really gave his innings of 242 the glint was the way he scored those runs. Hridoy struck 33 boundaries; half a dozen of them came from square cuts alone. The bat speed coming from a high back-lift is breathtaking, but so is the placement. He was also gleeful to dispatch half-volleys through the covers, once over extra cover, and mainly straight down the ground. He was finding boundaries even when West Indies posted five or six fielders along the rope.

From being at the mercy of the selectors ahead of the Sylhet Test, to toying with the West Indies bowlers, Hridoy has come of age.

Hridoy's escape act however isn't the first for Bangladesh in Tests. Litton Das has done it twice against Pakistan in the last two years. Bangladesh were 26 for 6 in Rawalpindi when Litton and Mehidy Hasan Miraz added 165 runs for the seventh wicket. They went on to win the Test by six wickets. Earlier this year, also in Sylhet, Litton dragged Bangladesh out of 116 for 6, with two sizeable stands with Taijul and Shoriful Islam.

Against Pakistan in 2015, Bangladesh were behind by 296 runs when Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes put on 312 runs for the opening stand in their second innings. Tamim's 206 in Khulna broke Mushfiqur's record for highest score at the time.

Tamim had Imrul for company for most of his innings, while Litton had Mehidy in Rawalpindi. Litton had to score runs while farming strike for most of his century in Sylhet earlier this year, but none of them were in circumstances as precarious as Hridoy was in, in Sylhet today.

Rescue acts such as these usually result in a positive result for the team. Both of Litton's knocks against Pakistan led to wins, while Tamim's 206 in Khulna ensured Bangladesh a draw against Pakistan. Hridoy has done enough to give Bangladesh a way back into the game. Now it is up to their bowlers to restrict West Indies.

Mohammad Isam is Cricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84