Towhid Hridoy unbeaten 242 lifts Bangladesh into lead in second Test at Sylhet
Towhid Hridoy converted his maiden century into a double century for Bangladesh during the third day of the second and final Test against West Indies at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on November 7, 2026. He finished unbeaten on 242 off 359 as Bangladesh reached 386, taking a 30-run lead in the first innings from a near-hopeless situation.
West Indies had been bowled out for 356 earlier in the match, and Hridoy's innings included 22 fours and 11 sixes. He became the fourth Bangladeshi batter to record a Test double century after Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, and surpassed Mushfiqur's 219 to become the highest individual scorer for the country.
Bangladesh resumed Day 3 on 88-3 and Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim put together a 73-run stand before Jomel Warrican dismissed Mushfiqur. Warrican and captain Roston Chase then triggered a mini-collapse as Bangladesh lost three wickets in quick succession, reducing the hosts to 184-7.
Hridoy then rebuilt the innings, adding 117 with Taijul Islam for the eighth wicket. He reached his maiden Test century off 171 balls with a single off Roston Chase that also moved Bangladesh past 300, and thereafter adopted an aggressive approach against the visiting attack.
Ten of his 11 sixes came after his century—a sequence the report described as the highest by any Bangladeshi batter and the second highest in cricket history. Warrican finished with 4-104 and broke the partnership when he dismissed Taijul for 22.
Hridoy put on an 85-run partnership with Taskin Ahmed for the ninth wicket to nudge Bangladesh ahead, and raised his double century off 304 balls by driving Warrican to long-off for a single. Jayden Seales dismissed Taskin to end the innings, and opener Shadman Islam was unable to bat after injuring his ankle on Day 2.
Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons commented on Hridoy's innings: "It's unbelievable how he was still able to find boundaries and hit sixes even when he started getting tired. He showed outstanding game awareness, knowing which shots to play and when to give the last three batsmen the strike. Everything he did in this innings was exceptional." Earlier in West Indies' reply, Bangladesh bowlers lost two reviews in the first over before openers Joshua da Silva and Brandon King negotiated four overs without loss.
Play was halted because of bad light with West Indies 7 for no loss, and Warrican said: "We were thinking about what lead we could have got or how big the lead could have been, but the way Hridoy batted was special. We have to reflect on things that we could have done better. As a unit, we still have to keep our heads up because there's a job to be done. We have to come back well tomorrow."