Towhid Hridoy made history in Potchefstroom on Wednesday, becoming the first Bangladeshi batter to score a first-class triple century overseas. The Bangladesh A batter reached the milestone during the second four-day match against South Africa A, completing his 300 from the first ball of the 182nd over of Bangladesh’s first innings.
Hridoy resumed the fourth and final day unbeaten on 204 and needed 96 more runs to reach the landmark. He brought up the triple century with a couple, adding another significant milestone to an already remarkable innings.
He is now only the third Bangladeshi batter to score 300 or more in first-class cricket. Tamim Iqbal and Raqibul Hasan are the other two, although both achieved their triple centuries on home soil.
Bangladesh A were 611 for eight when this report was filed, having taken a sizeable lead over South Africa A, who made 512 in their first innings. With the match heading into the final stages, a draw appeared the most likely outcome.
Hridoy’s innings has also given him the highest individual score by a Bangladesh A batter in first-class cricket. He went past Shahriar Hossain’s previous record of 218, scored against the Defence Housing Authority in Karachi in 2003. Shahriar had previously been the only Bangladesh A batter to make a double century.
Tamim remains Bangladesh’s highest-scoring batter in first-class cricket. He made an unbeaten 334 for East Zone against Central Zone in a Bangladesh Cricket League match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur in 2020.
That innings saw Tamim break Raqibul Hasan’s record for the highest individual score by a Bangladeshi in first-class cricket. Raqibul had made 313 for Barishal against Sylhet in the National Cricket League at Fatullah in 2007, becoming the country’s first triple centurion. Raqibul was present at the ground when Tamim overtook his mark.
Hridoy’s 300 also puts him in rare company in South African first-class cricket. He is only the second overseas batter to score a triple century in the country, following England’s Dennis Compton, who made 300 for MCC during the 1948-49 season.
