Towhid Hridoy’s Record 242: The Innings That Rewrote Bangladesh Test History

Towhid Hridoy played the greatest innings in Bangladesh Test history on Saturday, 7 November 2026. The 25-year-old batter scored an unbeaten 242 against West Indies in Sylhet — the highest individual score ever made by a Bangladesh batter in Test cricket.

It was an innings that had everything: patience, power, and a rescue act when his team was in deep trouble. Bangladesh were 184 for 7 and heading for a heavy first-innings deficit. By the time Hridoy finished, they had a lead.

Here is how one young batter turned a likely defeat into a day Bangladesh cricket will never forget.

A record that stood for eight years

Before Saturday, the highest Test score by a Bangladesh batter belonged to Mushfiqur Rahim. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter had scored 219 not out against Zimbabwe in Mirpur in November 2018.

Hridoy went past that mark with a boundary off West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican. He finished on 242 not out from 359 balls, with 22 fours and 11 sixes.

The numbers tell the story of just how special the innings was:

• 242 not out — the highest individual Test score by a Bangladesh batter, beating Mushfiqur Rahim’s 219 not out.
• 359 balls — the innings lasted almost the whole day, from the morning session to the end of Bangladesh’s innings.
• 22 fours and 11 sixes — the 11 sixes are the most ever hit by a Bangladesh batter in a Test innings.
• 62.69% of the team total — Hridoy scored 242 of Bangladesh’s 386 runs, the biggest share ever contributed by a Bangladesh batter in a completed Test innings.

Hridoy is only the fourth Bangladesh batter to score a Test double century, joining Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan. He is also the first Bangladesh batter to turn his maiden Test century into a double hundred.

He was playing only his third Test match.

How the rescue unfolded

The day started badly for Bangladesh. They resumed on 88 for 3, still trailing West Indies’ first-innings total of 356 by 268 runs. Hridoy was on 29 overnight, with Mushfiqur unbeaten on 19.

The pair added 73 runs for the fourth wicket before Warrican broke through. Mushfiqur was deceived by a flighted delivery and caught by Brandon King for 34.

Then things got worse. Litton Das fell for 8, Mehidy Hasan Miraz made 16, and Hasan Mahmud was out for 1. Bangladesh had lost their seventh wicket at 184, still 172 runs behind West Indies’ total.

Worse still, opener Shadman Islam could not bat at all because of an ankle injury. Bangladesh were effectively a batter short.

At that point, a big West Indies lead looked certain. Hridoy had other ideas.

The lower order stands firm

Hridoy found a willing partner in Taijul Islam. The pair added 117 runs for the eighth wicket, frustrating West Indies through the afternoon session. By tea, Bangladesh were within 38 runs of the visitors’ total.

Taijul got a life on 20 when King dropped him off Warrican with Bangladesh on 290 for 7. He went on to make 22 in more than two hours at the crease before Warrican finally removed him, stumped after he failed to get his foot back behind the line.

Hridoy was not finished. Joined by last man Taskin Ahmed, he kept attacking. He reached his double century by pushing Warrican towards long-on for a single in the 100th over, then went past Mushfiqur’s record with a boundary off the same bowler.

The ninth-wicket stand with Taskin was worth 85 runs before Jayden Seales ended Taskin’s resistance for 12. Bangladesh were all out for 386 in 111.5 overs — a 30-run first-innings lead that had seemed impossible a few hours earlier.

Hridoy and the last three wickets added 202 runs together, the most Bangladesh have ever added after losing their seventh wicket in a Test innings.

The records behind the 242

Hridoy’s innings broke records almost every hour. Here are the main ones:

A new Bangladesh record

The 242 not out passed Mushfiqur Rahim’s 219 not out against Zimbabwe in 2018. It is now the highest score by a Bangladesh batter in the 25-year history of the country’s Test cricket.

A new record at Sylhet

The innings is also the highest individual score at the Sylhet ground, passing Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s 171 against Ireland. It was the first double century ever scored at the venue, and the highest score by a Bangladesh batter against West Indies.

A six-hitting record

Hridoy hit 11 sixes, the most by a Bangladesh batter in a Test innings. The previous best was seven, held by Tamim Iqbal. It is also the most sixes anyone has hit in a Test innings against West Indies.

He fell just one short of the world record of 12 sixes in a Test innings, shared by Pakistan’s Wasim Akram and India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal.

A record day

The 213 runs Hridoy scored on Saturday are the most by a Bangladesh batter in a single day of Test cricket. The previous record was Shakib Al Hasan’s 212 on the second day against New Zealand in Wellington in 2017.

A first in the World Test Championship

Hridoy’s double century is the first by a Bangladesh batter in the World Test Championship, the competition that gives Test cricket a league table and a final.

What the coaches and players said

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons was full of praise after the day’s play.

“That was an outstanding innings. It’s an unbelievable innings in the end,” Simmons told reporters. “Understanding the game, knowing which shots to play, when to give the last three batsmen the strike, everything he did exceptionally in this innings.”

West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican, who took 4 for 104 and was the visitors’ most successful bowler, was just as generous.

“I just think he batted extremely well. I’ve got to give him his credit. He played a beautiful innings, he put Bangladesh in a good position,” Warrican said. “We as a team who was in the ascendancy, we were thinking about what lead we could have gotten or how big the lead could have been. But the way he batted was special.”

How the innings was built

Hridoy’s innings was not a wild slog from the start. It was carefully built, in stages:

• Maiden fifty off 109 balls — he reached his first Test half-century patiently, holding the innings together while wickets fell at the other end.
• Maiden century off 171 balls — his first Test hundred came as Bangladesh were fighting to avoid a big deficit.
• Double century off 304 balls — once the hundred was secured, he accelerated, farming the strike and shielding the tailenders while still finding the boundary.

That balance — defence when the team needed it, attack when the moment was right — is what impressed his coach most. Hridoy knew when to protect the last three batters and when to take the bowling on himself.

The match situation

West Indies had made 356 in their first innings, built around Jangoo’s 133, with Wickham making 61 and Greaves 51, while Hasan Mahmud took 6 for 90.

Bangladesh replied with 386, giving them a 30-run lead. But West Indies began their second innings before stumps on day three and reached 7 without loss, with Brandon King on 5 and Joshua Da Silva on 2. That cut Bangladesh’s lead to 23 runs by the close.

The match is finely balanced going into day four. Bangladesh’s bowlers will want early wickets to keep West Indies’ second-innings total down, while West Indies will look to build a lead and put pressure back on the home side.

Why this innings matters

For Bangladesh cricket, Hridoy’s 242 is more than a number in a record book. It is a sign of what the next generation can do.

Bangladesh have played Test cricket since 2000, but they have produced only four double-centurions in that time. Three of them — Mushfiqur, Tamim and Shakib — are the great names of the country’s cricket. Hridoy, at 25 and in only his third Test, has now joined them.

It also matters because of how the innings was made. Bangladesh were 184 for 7, a batter short, and facing a big deficit against a strong West Indies attack. Most teams would have folded. Hridoy did not just survive — he took the game away from the opposition, adding 202 runs with the last three wickets.

For young cricketers in Bangladesh, it is proof that a new star has arrived. For the rest of the cricket world, it is a warning: Towhid Hridoy is a name to remember.

What happens next

The Test continues on Sunday, 8 November, with West Indies batting in their second innings on 7 without loss. Bangladesh will look to their bowlers — led by Hasan Mahmud, who took six wickets in the first innings — to strike early and keep the target small.

If Bangladesh can bowl West Indies out cheaply, Hridoy’s innings will have set up a famous win. If West Indies build a big lead, the home side will need another strong batting effort to save the match.

Either way, one thing is already certain: 7 November 2026 is the day Towhid Hridoy became a record-breaker.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Towhid Hridoy?

Towhid Hridoy is a 25-year-old Bangladesh batter. He was playing only his third Test match when he scored 242 not out against West Indies in Sylhet on 7 November 2026.

What is the highest Test score by a Bangladesh batter?

Towhid Hridoy’s 242 not out against West Indies in Sylhet is now the highest. It passed Mushfiqur Rahim’s 219 not out against Zimbabwe in Mirpur in November 2018.

How many sixes did Hridoy hit?

He hit 11 sixes, the most by a Bangladesh batter in a Test innings. The world record is 12 sixes in a Test innings.

How many Bangladesh batters have scored a Test double century?

Four: Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and now Towhid Hridoy.

What was the match situation after Hridoy’s innings?

Bangladesh made 386 in reply to West Indies’ 356, taking a 30-run first-innings lead. West Indies reached 7 without loss in their second innings by stumps on day three, cutting the lead to 23 runs.

Where was the match played?

The second Test between Bangladesh and West Indies was played in Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Sources

• Dawn — https://www.dawn.com/news/2042953/hridoys-record-double-century-lifts-bangladesh-in-second-wi-test
• Cricbuzz — https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/140822/towhid-hridoys-record-242-not-out-gives-bangladesh-improbable-lead-cricbuzzcom
• ESPNcricinfo — https://www.cricinfo.com/story/towhid-hridoy-smashes-test-records-with-242-for-bangladesh-against-west-indies-1561794
• Gulf Times — https://www.gulf-times.com/article/737688/sport/cricket/hridoy-scores-bangladesh-test-best-242-against-west-indies

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.