Towhid Hridoy creates history with 350, surpasses Tamim Iqbal’s long-standing first-class record

Towhid Hridoy makes history for Bangladesh (Image: Cricbuzz) Bangladesh Captain Towhid Hridoy etched his name into the country’s first-class records after becoming the first Bangladeshi batsman to score 350 runs in an innings. The breakthrough came at the NWC Oval in Potchefstroom on Wednesday, more than six years after Hridoy helped Bangladesh win the Under-19 World Cup at the same venue in 2020.Resuming on 204 on day four, Hridoy carried his bat through the rest of Bangladesh A’s innings and finished unbeaten on 350 from 481 deliveries, hitting 27 fours and 10 sixes.His innings helped Bangladesh A declare at 676 for eight, giving them a 164-run advantage after South Africa A posted 512 in their first innings. South Africa A reached 18 without loss before the teams settled for a draw.

Hridoy breaks Tamim’s record

Hridoy’s marathon innings made him only the third Bangladeshi batsman to score a first-class triple century. More importantly, he went past Tamim Iqbal’s unbeaten 334 and Raqibul Hasan’s unbeaten 313 to become the highest first-class score by a Bangladeshi batsman.He also became the first Bangladeshi to score a first-class score of over 300 outside the country.350 was equally significant from South Africa’s perspective. Hridoy now owns the highest first-class score by an overseas batsman in South Africa. Only one other batsman has crossed the 350-run mark in a first-class innings in the country, Stephen Cook, who scored 390.Reflecting on the innings, Hridoy said the performance gave him considerable confidence and made him believe he could produce a similar effort at international level.“To be honest, this innings gave me a lot of confidence. After picking the Man of the Match trophy, I felt that one day I will play such an innings in the national team,” Hridoy said after the match.

Tamim congratulates Hridoy after the record fall

Tamim Iqbal, whose 334 was Bangladesh’s highest first-class score, was quick to congratulate Hridoy after his record was broken. Tamim said scoring 350 runs in any first-class environment was an exceptional achievement, but in South Africa the feat was even more remarkable.He also welcomed the fact that his record was broken and described Hridoy’s achievement as a sign of progress made by Bangladeshi cricket.South Africa A still won the four-day series 1-0. The hosts dominated the opener in Pretoria, winning by an innings and 413 runs, before Hridoy’s record performance helped Bangladesh avoid defeat in the second match.Both sides will now switch to the 50-over format, with the three-match one-day series starting in Bloemfontein on September 6.