Hridoy leaves Warrican stunned

West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican admitted his side had been taken by surprise by Towhid Hridoy's remarkable unbeaten 242, conceding that the Bangladesh batter's marathon innings had turned the tide in the second Test in Sylhet on Saturday.

"We were in the ascendancy and things were going our way, but Hridoy batted well. The way he batted was special. We have to give him credit," Warrican said at the post-day media conference.

The 25-year-old rewrote Bangladesh's Test record books with his unbeaten 242, eclipsing Mushfiqur Rahim's previous national record of 219 not out against Zimbabwe in 2018. Hridoy went past the mark with a boundary off Warrican in the 106th over.

Playing only his third Test, Hridoy became the first Bangladesh batter to turn his maiden Test century into a double hundred. He also became the fourth Bangladeshi to score a Test double century and the first to achieve the feat against West Indies.

Warrican acknowledged that the visitors had been in a commanding position before Hridoy's innings changed the complexion of the match.

"We were thinking about what lead we could have got or how big the lead could have been. But the way he batted was special," the left-arm spinner said.

Asked whether the exchanges between the players, including a late change of plan involving a delivery to Hridoy, were intended to unsettle the batter, Warrican dismissed suggestions that the tactic had backfired.

"I don't think it backfired. I just think he batted extremely well. He played a beautiful innings and put Bangladesh in a good position," he said.

Despite the setback, Warrican urged his team-mates to remain positive, stressing that the visitors needed to keep their heads up and produce a strong response on the following day.