Hridoy scripts Test history with 242

Towhid Hridoy produced a career-defining masterclass, smashing an unbeaten 242 to become Bangladesh's highest individual Test scorer and lift the hosts to a 30-run first-innings lead against West Indies in the second Test in Sylhet on Saturday.

The 27-year-old's remarkable innings, built on patience, concentration and controlled aggression, took Bangladesh to 386 for nine on the third day after the hosts had struggled to keep wickets intact against the visitors' first-innings total of 356.

Hridoy faced 359 deliveries, hitting 22 fours and 11 sixes at a strike rate of 67.40, surpassing Mushfiqur Rahim's previous national record of 219 not out against Zimbabwe in Mirpur in 2018.

He also became only the fourth Bangladeshi batter to score a double century in Test cricket, joining Mushfiqur, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.

The landmark was particularly significant as Hridoy turned his maiden Test century into a double hundred, becoming the first Bangladeshi to achieve the feat. His century came off 171 balls, while he reached 200 in 304 deliveries.

His innings also surpassed Mominul Haque's 181 against New Zealand in 2013, previously the highest score by a Bangladeshi batter in the match in which he registered his maiden Test hundred.

Hridoy's contribution went beyond individual records. He held the innings together as wickets fell around him and shared a crucial 117-run eighth-wicket partnership with Taijul Islam, who contributed 22 off 56 balls.

The partnership helped Bangladesh recover from a precarious position and take control of the first-innings contest.

Hridoy's previous highest score in four Test innings was just 42, and he had faced criticism following his dismissals in both innings of the previous Test in Mirpur.

His extraordinary response in Sylhet has now transformed the match and established him as the owner of Bangladesh's highest individual Test innings.