Hridoy makes history with maiden Test double century

Towhid Hridoy produced a remarkable fightback in the Sylhet Test against the West Indies, scoring his maiden double century after Bangladesh had slumped to seven wickets down and faced the prospect of an innings defeat. The right-handed batter became only the fourth Bangladeshi to score a double century in Test cricket.

Bangladesh had been trailing by 172 runs at one stage in their first innings, with only two wickets remaining following Sadman Islam's injury. In a difficult situation, Hridoy joined forces with Taijul Islam to steady the innings. Their 117-run partnership for the eighth wicket gave Bangladesh renewed hope of getting back into the contest.

The 25-year-old reached his double century off 304 balls, hitting 19 fours and seven sixes. It was also his first century in Test cricket. Turning his maiden Test hundred into a double century, Hridoy created a new milestone in Bangladesh cricket.

Before Hridoy, the highest score by a Bangladeshi batter in his maiden Test century belonged to Mominul Haque, who scored 181 against New Zealand in 2013. Hridoy surpassed that mark to set a new record.

Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal had previously scored double centuries for Bangladesh in Test cricket. Mushfiqur has three double hundreds, while Shakib and Tamim have one each. Hridoy has now joined the elite group.

Hridoy also set a new record at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The previous highest individual Test score at the venue was 171 by Bangladesh's Mahmudul Hasan Joy, followed by Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis with 164. Hridoy's double century eclipsed both marks.

No Bangladeshi batter had previously scored even 150 runs in a Test against the West Indies. Hridoy broke that barrier by becoming the first to reach a double century against the Caribbean side.

Hridoy and Taijul's 117-run stand for the eighth wicket is the second-highest partnership for that wicket in Bangladesh's Test history. The record remains 144 runs, set by Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz against Zimbabwe in 2018.

Despite Hridoy's outstanding batting transforming the course of the innings, Bangladesh were still 25 runs behind the West Indies in the first innings at that stage. Their immediate target was therefore to take the lead.