Chasing 350 is possible too, says Hridoy, refusing to give up hope

Bangladesh’s record for the highest successful run chase in Test cricket is 215. To win the Sylhet Test against the West Indies, that record will have to be surpassed by a long way. The West Indies have already taken a lead of 315 runs. But Towhid Hridoy is not ready to give up in the face of the difficult equation.

The young batter, who scored a double century for Bangladesh in the first innings of the Test, believes the wicket is good for batting. So if the start is good, chasing a target of around 350 runs is possible.

At the end of the fourth day of the second Test against the West Indies at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Bangladesh trail by 315 runs. Against the Caribbean side’s first-innings total of 356, the hosts made 386 thanks to Hridoy’s unbeaten 242, taking a 30-run lead.

But in their second innings, the West Indies scored 345 runs for the loss of three wickets, taking control of the match back into their own hands.

Facing the media at the end of the day, Hridoy said the Sylhet wicket is still suitable for batting. That is why he sees hope of a fight even if the target is a big one.

Hridoy said: “So far the wicket has been good for batting. But this is red-ball cricket. If we can make a good start, I think chasing the runs is possible. We will have to plan after seeing what target they set us tomorrow.”

How big the target will be still depends on the West Indies’ batting. At the end of the fourth day, Kavem Hodge was unbeaten on 140. With him at the crease is Amir Jangoo, who scored a century in the first innings.

With seven wickets still in hand, the visitors have the chance to stretch the lead further at the start of the fifth day. So before Bangladesh bat, the bowlers will also face the challenge of taking quick wickets.

But in Hridoy’s thinking, the start matters more than worrying about the size of the likely target. In his words: “350 looks like a chaseable target to me. But as I keep saying, the start is very important. If we can make a good start, something good is possible.”

With his batting, Hridoy rescued Bangladesh from a major collapse in the first innings. After the team had lost seven wickets for 184 runs, he held one end and played an unbeaten innings of 242 runs. It is now the highest individual innings for Bangladesh in Tests.

So the team will also be looking towards his bat in the fifth day’s battle.

While he sees the day as important, Hridoy also reminded everyone of the importance of every moment of the whole match. He said: “Of course tomorrow is a very important day. But it is not just tomorrow — every day is important. We will try to do something good.”