Towhid's 350 wins 'Hridoy'

Six and a half years after helping Bangladesh make history by winning the Under-19 World Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa, Towhid Hridoy has returned to the same venue to create another piece of history being the leader of the side.

On Wednesday, the newly appointed Bangladesh ‘A’ captain became the first Bangladeshi batter to score a first-class triple-century on foreign soil. He also surpassed the current Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)’s president and former international Tamim Iqbal to register the highest individual innings by a Bangladeshi batter in first-class cricket.

Hridoy declared on 350 not out off 481 balls against South Africa ‘A’, hitting 28 fours and nine sixes. Tamim’s previous record of 334 had stood since 2020, while Rakibul Hasan’s 313 was also surpassed by Hridoy.

The 25-year-old’s 350 is also the highest first-class score by an overseas batter in South Africa, surpassing Denis Compton’s 300 for MCC in the 1948-49 season.

Unbeaten on 75 at the end of the second day, the right-arm batsman completed his double-century on the third day before reaching 300 on the fourth. He reached the landmark in 451 balls, hitting 25 fours and six sixes at the time.

Hridoy is only the third Bangladeshi to score a first-class triple-century. Rakibul Hasan first achieved the feat with an unbeaten 313 for Barisal Division against Sylhet in the 2006-07 National Cricket League (NCL). Tamim then broke that record with 334 for East Zone against Central Zone in the 2020 Bangladesh Cricket League.

Replying to South Africa ‘A’s 512, Bangladesh ‘A’ declared on 676 for a 164-run lead. Hridoy shared a 153-run fifth-wicket stand with Jaker Ali Anik and an 185-run sixth-wicket partnership with Saifuddin, who scored 87 and Jaker 94.

After Bangladesh ‘A’ suffered an innings-and-413-run defeat in the first four-day match, the BCB brought Hridoy into the squad to lead the team in the final unofficial Test. He responded with a record-breaking 350 on his captaincy debut.

A regular in white-ball cricket, Hridoy is still finding his feet in red-ball cricket. He scored only 12 runs across two innings on his Test debut in Harare last June.

Selectors want him to gain greater first-class experience before establishing himself in international red-ball cricket, and his remarkable 350 in Potchefstroom has strengthened that case.