Sports Desk

Towhid Hridoy nudged Tshepo Ntuli through mid-wicket for a single to bring up his 350, then gave the umpire a thumbs-up instead of celebrating.

The signal was unmistakable: his marathon innings was done. Bangladesh A's captain called time on his own knock, declaring the innings unbeaten.

Hridoy remained not out on 350 off 481 balls in an innings littered with records.

Opposition fielders came over from all corners of the ground to applaud him, patting his back and shaking his hand, while his teammates lined up outside the dressing room to welcome him off the field on Tuesday.

Potchefstroom holds happy memories for Hridoy, who was part of Bangladesh's 2020 Under-19 World Cup-winning side on the same ground.

It is here that he has now added another glittering chapter to his career.

Bangladesh A declared their first innings on 676 for eight against South Africa A in the second unofficial Test, built almost entirely around their captain's monumental knock.

Hridoy struck 27 fours and 10 sixes in his 350.

 

It is the first time a Bangladeshi batter has crossed 350 in first-class cricket, eclipsing Tamim Iqbal's 334.

No Bangladesh batter had previously even reached 220 outside home soil.

Resuming the final day on 204, Hridoy ticked off milestone after milestone from the morning session.

He first went past his previous first-class best of 217, then overtook Shahriar Hossain's mark for the highest score by a Bangladesh batter abroad in first-class cricket, the former opener having made 218 for Bangladesh A against the Defence Housing Authority in Karachi in 2003.

At the other end, Nayeem Hasan and Hasan Murad fell cheaply.

Bangladesh A's eighth wicket went down with Hridoy on 225, but number 10 batter Rejaur Rahman Raja proved the perfect foil, keeping the record-breaking march alive.

Hridoy brought up 250 off 381 balls and went to lunch on 274.

South Africa took the new ball for a third time to try and break the stand, but it made no difference. Hridoy reached 300 off 450 balls.

He showed no sign of slowing down after that, going to the tea break unbeaten on 333.

South Africa A captain Marques Ackerman walked over to ask whether Bangladesh A would declare, but Hridoy made clear he intended to bat on.

The reason became clear soon after the break. He had 350 in his sights, and got there in just 31 balls from the 300 mark.

Along the way, he went past Rakibul Hasan's 313 and Tamim's 334, the two previous triple-centurions among Bangladesh batters in first-class cricket.

Among overseas batters in South Africa, only Denis Compton had previously scored a triple-century, the England great making 300 for the MCC back in 1948.

Hridoy's innings now ranks as the second-highest in South African first-class cricket history.

Only Steven Cook stands above him: the 11-Test opener made an unbeaten 390 off 648 balls for the Lions in 2009.

Rejaur remained unbeaten on 31 off 110 balls, with four fours and two sixes, having added an unbroken 157 for the eighth wicket alongside Hridoy when Bangladesh A declared.

Bangladesh A declared with a lead of 164.

 

South Africa's left-arm spinner Kyle Simmonds picked up four wickets but conceded close to 300 runs in the process, while off-spinner Ntuli also leaked over 200.

South Africa A closed their second innings on 18 without loss off 12 overs, as both sides settled for a draw.

The result marks a stunning turnaround from the first unofficial Test in Pretoria, which Bangladesh A lost by an innings and 413 runs.

Hridoy was the unsurprising Man of the Match. Sinethemba Qeshile, who made a double century in the previous match and a century in this one, was named Man of the Series.

The two sides now move on to a three-match one-day series, starting Sunday in Bloemfontein, with Hridoy continuing to lead Bangladesh.

Brief scores:

South Africa A 1st innings: 512

Bangladesh A 1st innings: 676/8 declared in 191.2 overs (overnight 471/6) (Hridoy 350 not out, Nayeem 16, Murad 11, Rejaur 31 not out; Moreki 25-6-63-2, Bosch 25-2-92-1, Simmonds 59-3-293-4, Potgieter 20-8-46-0, Ntuli 54.2-7-214-1, Ackerman 8-1-21-0)

South Africa A 2nd innings: 18/0 in 12 overs

Result: Match drawn

Series: South Africa A won the two-match series 1-0

Man of the Match: Towhid Hridoy

Man of the Series: Sinethemba Qeshile