Towhid Hridoy produced a stunning century to guide Rangpur Riders to victory over Noakhali Express, helping his team confirm a place in the BPL playoffs. The right-handed batsman made 109 from 57 balls as Rangpur chased down 173 for eight wickets at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium.
Hridoy had narrowly missed out on a century in his previous innings, remaining unbeaten on 97 against Rajshahi Warriors on 11 January in Sylhet. On Sunday, he corrected that disappointment in emphatic fashion. Hassan Eisahkhil scored 107 off 72 balls to give Noakhali a strong target. Hridoy shared an opening partnership of 78 with Dawid Malan before Malan was dismissed, but he continued to accelerate the innings on his own.
“This was a special innings for me. To get a century after being so close before feels great,” Hridoy said after the match. He reached his fifty in just 27 balls and his century in 57, hitting 15 fours and two sixes before being bowled by Hasan Mahmud.
Despite normally batting in the middle order, Hridoy has been deployed as a makeshift opener in the last five games. The strategy has worked well, with the batsman accumulating 378 runs in ten matches this season, including one century and one fifty. His recent scores as an opener are 109, 67, 4, and 97 not out, showing he has adapted seamlessly to the role.
Rangpur now sit third on the points table with six wins, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Hridoy’s form is likely to boost Bangladesh’s confidence ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup, even as uncertainty remains over the team’s participation in India due to ongoing security concerns.
