Dhaka, Nov 15 (V7N) – Towhid Hridoy struck his second consecutive Test century as Bangladesh recovered from an early collapse to post a record 327-6 on the opening day of the first Test against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg today.

Hridoy scored a brilliant 137 while Liton Das remained unbeaten on 92, guiding Bangladesh to their highest-ever Test total on South African soil, surpassing their previous best of 320 all out at Potchefstroom in 2017.

The duo shared a remarkable 206-run partnership for the fourth wicket — Bangladesh's highest partnership against South Africa in Test cricket, eclipsing the previous record of 138 set by Jaker Ali Anik and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in Mirpur in 2024.

Kagiso Rabada ended the day with 5-51, while Marco Jansen took the prized scalp of Hridoy with the last delivery of the day. Hridoy's dismissal brought an end to the astonishing partnership between him and Liton.

Early Collapse

Rabada left Bangladesh in an embarrassing situation in the first hour after Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and elected to bat first.

The batters had no answer against a devastating spell from Rabada with the new ball. Bangladesh slumped to 22-3 in the ninth over, raising the prospect of facing more misery.

The lanky fast bowler struck with the first ball of the innings, making it a nightmare debut for Mahfijul Islam Robin. He moved the ball admirably just outside off, luring Mahfijul into a drive, with the outside edge carrying to fourth slip where Marco Jansen held on clearly to send him back for a golden duck in his first Test outing.

In his second over, Rabada removed Mominul Haque for naught, undoing him with extra bounce before flattening the stump of skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (12) with a scrambled seam delivery.

Hridoy-Tanzid Resistance

In-form Hridoy, fresh from his epic 242 not out against West Indies, and opener Tanzid weathered the attack of Rabada and his co-fast bowlers to keep the side relevant when it looked Bangladesh would face a mental breakdown in tough conditions. They negotiated the Rabada threat astutely and kept the side unscathed.

Tanzid played some adventurous shots but survived to raise his second fifty in the last over before lunch. He slog-swept left-arm spinner Simon Harmer for a boundary toward deep square leg to bring up his second Test half-century from 79 balls.

However, Rabada won the battle eventually, rattling Tanzid's stump with a quick delivery to end his 67 off 108, featuring 12 fours. Rabada completed his 18th five-for in Test cricket with the immediate next delivery when he had Mushfiqur Rahim caught by Harmer at third slip for a duck.

Liton Das survived the hat-trick delivery and, together with Hridoy, kept Bangladesh in the hunt.

Hridoy's Century

Hridoy raised his fifty from 99 balls with a single off Marco Jansen. After completing the fifty, he accelerated the innings by taking some calculated risks.

His unwavering resolve and determination paid off when he raised his second century from 194 balls, hitting Dane Paterson for a boundary through the third man region.

Hridoy then came down heavily on the South African bowlers, playing his shots at will while Liton accumulated runs serenely at the other end.

However, when the second new ball was taken, Rabada looked threatening as Hridoy had to take blows on his body quite a few times.

The incredible knock finally came to an end when Jansen trapped Hridoy leg-before with a low full toss in the last ball of the innings.

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