Hodge century takes lead to 315 as Bangladesh face record chase on final day

Despite Towhid Hridoy's record-breaking double century in the first innings, Bangladesh are far from comfortable in the Sylhet Test. On the fourth day, the visiting West Indies produced a commanding batting reply, taking advantage of the hosts' abject failure with the ball. Riding on Kavem Hodge's responsible unbeaten century, the Caribbean side ended the fourth day on 345 for 3 in their second innings, taking their overall lead to 315 runs.

To win this Test on the final day, Bangladesh will have to set a new record for the highest run chase in their Test cricket history. At the end of the fourth day's play at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Najmul Hossain Shanto's team now face a stern examination.

From the start of the fourth day, Bangladesh's bowlers were deeply disappointing. Despite planning to take quick wickets in the morning, the hosts could put no pressure whatsoever on the Caribbean batters. They managed two wickets in the first session, but the second session after lunch passed completely wicketless.

After a long wait, spinner Taijul Islam finally brought some relief in the third session by dismissing the well-set Kevin Wickham, but by then West Indies had taken firm control of the match.

Kavem Hodge made the day entirely his own with the bat. Bringing up the third century of his Test career, he remained unbeaten on 140 off 189 balls, with 17 fours and one six. At the other end, Amir Jangoo was unbeaten on 20 off 49 balls, and the pair's unbroken 61-run stand for the fourth wicket added valuable runs.

Earlier, opener Brandon King's 61 and young batter Wickham's 78 laid a strong foundation for a big total. The 165-run partnership between Hodge and Wickham was what effectively knocked Bangladesh out of the match.

Bangladesh had earlier made 386 in their first innings, built on Hridoy's epic unbeaten 242, which gave the hosts a valuable 30-run first-innings lead. But that advantage was wiped away by the dominance of the West Indies batters in the second innings.

Bangladesh's record for the highest successful run chase in Tests is 215 runs, achieved in 2009 against this same West Indies side. To save or win the Sylhet Test against visitors leading by 315, Shanto's team must now surpass that 17-year-old record.

At the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Towhid Hridoy produced a superhuman innings standing amid the ruins. The young batter, who had faced severe criticism for a reckless shot in the Mirpur Test, answered with the bat by scoring the maiden double century of his Test career. On the third day of the second Test of the series, he became the fourth Bangladeshi cricketer to join the elite club of Test double-centurions.

In the 100th over of the innings, Hridoy turned his maiden century into a double century with a single off the first delivery from Caribbean left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican. Before him, only three Bangladeshi batters had scored a Test double century — Mushfiqur Rahim (three), Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal. The 25-year-old has now joined that prestigious list as the fourth batter.

Hridoy claimed several historic records in a single innings. It is now the highest individual innings by any Bangladeshi batter against West Indies in Test cricket; previously, former batter Mahmudullah Riyad, known as the 'Silent Killer', held the mark with 136 in Mirpur in 2018.

It is also the new record for the highest individual innings by any batter at the Sylhet venue, surpassing teammate Mahmudul Hasan Joy's 171 against Ireland in 2025. In addition, it is the highest innings among Bangladeshi batters scoring their maiden career century, breaking Mominul Haque's 181 against New Zealand in Chattogram in 2013.

The context of the match was entirely in the visitors' favour. With opener Sadman Islam ruled out through injury, Bangladesh were effectively down to two wickets in hand and, trailing by 172 runs, had slumped to 184 for 7. When Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das fell quickly in the morning, the visitors were dreaming of a big lead.

But Hridoy stood alone in resistance at the other end. Combining extreme patience with counter-attacks against the Caribbean bowlers at the right moments, he built a superb 117-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Taijul Islam. Taijul was dismissed for 22, but the double-centurion kept fighting to drag the team back from the brink.

Earlier, on the second day of the Sylhet Test, pacer Hasan Mahmud shone with the ball, but Bangladesh were in deep trouble with the bat. In reply to the visitors' first-innings total of 356, the hosts ended the second day on 88 for 3 in their first innings. However, an unbroken, responsible 37-run stand between Towhid Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim towards the end of the day saved the team from a bigger disaster and brought some relief.

West Indies had begun the second day on 235 for 4. Taking the second new ball, Hasan Mahmud brought the hosts their first success, bowling the previous day's unbeaten centurion Amir Jangoo (133) and then dismissing Roston Chase with the very next ball. He then trapped Joshua Bishop for 23, stumped by wicketkeeper Liton Das, to complete his fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

In doing so, he broke former pacer Shahadat Hossain's record of four to become the Bangladeshi pacer with the most five-wicket hauls in Tests. Now, on the final day, there is only one question before Bangladesh — after Hridoy's record innings, can this Test still be saved, or will West Indies go ahead in the series with a lead of 315 runs?