Towhid Hridoy makes Bangladesh history (Image: Cricbuzz)
Bangladesh A captain Towhid Hridoy etched his name into the country’s first-class record books after becoming the first Bangladeshi batter to score 350 runs in an innings. The landmark knock came at the NWC Oval in Potchefstroom on Wednesday, more than six years after Hridoy helped Bangladesh win the Under-19 World Cup at the same venue in 2020. More significantly, he went past Tamim Iqbal ‘s unbeaten 334 and Raqibul Hasan’s unbeaten 313 to claim the highest first-class score by a Bangladeshi batter. He also became the first Bangladeshi to register a first-class 300-plus score outside the country. The 350 was equally significant from a South African perspective. Only one other batter has crossed the 350-run mark in a first-class innings in the country, Stephen Cook, who scored 390. Tamim Iqbal, whose 334 had stood as Bangladesh’s highest first-class score, was quick to congratulate Hridoy after his record was surpassed. Tamim said scoring 350 runs in any first-class setting was an exceptional achievement, but doing so in South Africa made the feat even more remarkable.
Hridoy’s marathon innings made him only the third Bangladeshi batter to reach a first-class triple century. Hridoy now owns the highest first-class score by an overseas batter in South Africa.
South Africa A nevertheless took the four-day series 1-0. The hosts had dominated the opening match in Pretoria, winning by an innings and 413 runs, before Hridoy’s record-setting performance helped Bangladesh avoid defeat in the second game.
Reflecting on the innings, Hridoy said the performance had given him considerable confidence and made him believe he could produce a similar effort at international level. After picking the Man of the Match trophy I was feeling that someday I will play an innings like this in the national team,” Hridoy said after the match. “To be honest, this innings gave me a lot of confidence.