Towhid Hridoy makes Bangladesh history

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. Resuming the fourth day on 204, Hridoy carried his bat through the remainder of Bangladesh A's innings and finished unbeaten on 350 off 481 deliveries, hitting 27 fours and 10 sixes. His innings helped Bangladesh A declare at 676 for eight, giving them a 164-run advantage after South Africa A had posted 512 in their first innings. South Africa A reached 18 without loss before the teams settled for a draw.

Hridoy breaks Tamim's record

Hridoy's marathon innings made him only the third Bangladeshi batter to reach a first-class triple century. 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. Hridoy now owns the highest first-class score by an overseas batter in South Africa. Only one other batter has crossed the 350-run mark in a first-class innings in the country, Stephen Cook, who scored 390. 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. “To be honest, this innings gave me a lot of confidence. 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.

Tamim congratulates Hridoy after record falls

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.

He also welcomed the fact that his record had been broken, describing Hridoy's achievement as a sign of the progress being made by Bangladeshi cricket. 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. The two sides will now switch to the 50-over format, with a three-match one-day series beginning in Bloemfontein on September 6.