Two epic double centuries three years apart make 7 November unforgettable

From 91 for 7 to 293 for 7, and from 184 for 7 to 386 for 9 — both scores point to an unforgettable fightback. Only an extraordinary innings from a batter can produce such a score when a team is in deep trouble, on the edge of collapse.

That is exactly what happened, with precisely three years between the two scores. At the 2023 ODI World Cup in Mumbai, Glenn Maxwell played against Afghanistan what was probably the finest innings in the format.

When Maxwell walked to the crease in the ninth over, Australia were 49 for 4. Ten overs later, the score had become 91 for 7.

Maxwell was then unbeaten on 22 off 26 balls. From there, he carried Australia into the semi-final. He became the first Australian to score a double hundred in men's ODIs, reaching the mark in 128 balls, and the first double century ever scored in an ODI chase.

Numbers alone do the innings less than justice. Maxwell was suffering from cramp while batting; at one point he could not even stand and fell to the ground. After that, without moving his feet at all, he scored the next 54 runs off 29 balls.

In his 202-run stand with Pat Cummins, his own contribution was 179 runs. In the 47th over, he hit Mujib Ur Rahman for two sixes and a four. With five runs needed both for victory and for the double century, he cleared both with a six over midwicket.

Bangladesh's Towhid Hridoy seemed to recall that very day. Playing only the fourth Test of his career, he taught the experienced batters a lesson in batting.

In the Sylhet Test against West Indies, Hridoy came to the crease in the first innings after Bangladesh had lost two wickets for 22 runs. Once his 73-run stand with the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim was broken, the batting line-up collapsed. After Liton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz failed, the score stood at 174 for 7.

West Indies, who had scored 356 in their first innings, were dreaming of a big lead. But Hridoy turned their thinking around. With Sadman Islam injured, Bangladesh were batting with ten men, yet Hridoy gave them the lead, breaking record after record.

In the eighth wicket, he built a 117-run stand off 167 balls with tailender Taijul Islam, scoring 92 of those runs himself. By then he had reached his maiden hundred and gone past 150.

After that stand was broken, Taskin came to the crease and gave Hridoy fine support. Holding one end, Hridoy entertained the gallery with fours and sixes. He reached his double century off 304 balls, joining Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal on the list of Bangladeshi double-centurions.

Then, with more fours and sixes, he went past Mushfiqur's 219 to record the highest individual Test innings by a Bangladeshi. Hridoy's epic innings came to an end with Taskin's dismissal, breaking their 85-run stand off 121 balls.

Hitting 11 sixes — the joint second-highest in an innings — Hridoy remained unbeaten on 242. His 359-ball innings contained 22 fours.

On one side, Maxwell's unbeaten 201 that won the match from the edge of defeat. On the other, Hridoy's record-breaking innings that gave his team a 30-run lead. Which one to rank ahead is entirely personal. But there is no doubt that, because of these two fighting double centuries exactly three years apart, 7 November will remain etched in cricket history.