Hridoy's record-breaking knock puts Bangladesh ahead

West Indies: 356 & 7-0

Bangladesh: 386

(At stumps on day three)

Towhid Hridoy faced criticism over his selection for the Sylhet Test after failing to make an impression in his first four Test innings. But he answered his critics in emphatic fashion with a record-breaking unbeaten 242, guiding Bangladesh past West Indies' first-innings total of 356 to secure a 30-run lead. The visitors reached seven without loss in their second innings at stumps on day three, still trailing by 23 runs.

Bangladesh resumed the day on 88-3, but Jomel Warrican's spin dealt two quick blows in the first session. Mushfiqur Rahim (34) and Litton Das (8) both fell to catches at cover off the left-arm spinner, leaving Bangladesh's hopes of taking a lead hanging in the balance.

Even after the fifth wicket fell at 138, Hridoy refused to give up. Holding one end together, he guided Bangladesh to 386 with valuable support from Taijul Islam and Taskin Ahmed.

Hridoy added 117 runs with Taijul for the eighth wicket and another 85 with Taskin for the ninth. Even the introduction of the second new ball in the 81st over failed to halt his progress. Instead, Bangladesh added another 142 runs after the new ball was taken.

Resuming on 29, Hridoy reached his maiden Test century off 109 balls on the third morning. He brought up the milestone with a single off Roston Chase towards square leg, raised his helmet to acknowledge the applause and then bowed down in celebration.

The century was only the beginning of something extraordinary. In the 85th over, a Jayden Seales bouncer struck Hridoy on the ribs, leaving him on the pitch for a while as he received treatment. He was batting on 155 at the time.

After recovering, Hridoy returned to the crease with even greater aggression. He brought up his double century by driving Warrican through mid-off for a boundary before finishing unbeaten on 242, having struck 22 fours and 11 sixes.

The innings rewrote Bangladesh's Test record books. Hridoy eclipsed Mushfiqur Rahim's previous national record of 219 against Zimbabwe in 2018 to register the highest individual Test score by a Bangladeshi.

He also became the country's fourth double-centurion and the first batter to convert his maiden Test century into a double hundred. His 11 sixes in an innings were also a national record. Hridoy contributed 62.69 per cent of Bangladesh's total of 386, the highest proportion by a Bangladeshi batter in a Test innings.

West Indies' leading bowler Warrican admitted that Hridoy's remarkable innings had taken the game away from the visitors. The left-arm spinner finished with 4-104 and acknowledged the batter's outstanding effort at the end of the day's play.

"We were in the ascendancy and were thinking about how big a lead we could get. But the way Hridoy batted was special. We have to give him credit," Warrican said.