Towhid Hridoy produced a remarkable innings of 137 to rescue Bangladesh from a disastrous start and guide them to 327 for 6 on the opening day of the first Test against South Africa in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Hridoy and Litton Das put together a fightback that became a record-breaking 206-run sixth-wicket partnership, the highest stand by Bangladesh against South Africa in Test cricket. Their effort transformed the visitors’ position after they had lost three wickets for just 22 runs.
Hridoy was eventually dismissed by Marco Jansen off the final ball of the day, ending an innings that had given Bangladesh a strong platform. Litton remained unbeaten on 92 at stumps, with Bangladesh finishing on 327 for 6, their highest ever team total in a Test against South Africa.
The day had begun in the worst possible fashion for Bangladesh. Making his Test debut, opener Mahfijul Islam was caught at gully by Jansen off Kagiso Rabada from the very first ball of the innings. Mominul Haque followed soon after, caught behind off Rabada for seven, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 7 for 2.
Rabada struck again to remove captain Najmul Hossain, who was bowled for 9, reducing Bangladesh to 22 for 3 inside nine overs. The South African fast bowler would go on to claim all five of Bangladesh’s first five wickets, registering his 18th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. He also became the first bowler to take five fifers against Bangladesh in Tests.
With the top order dismantled, Hridoy joined Tanzid Hasan at the crease. The pair resisted South Africa’s attack and gradually rebuilt the innings, putting on 99 runs for the fourth wicket.
It was Bangladesh’s highest partnership on South African soil, surpassing the previous record of 84 between Habibul Bashar and Hannan Sarkar at Potchefstroom in 2002.
Tanzid, who had struggled in his previous five Test innings, made a timely return to form. He scored 51, his second Test half-century, providing the resistance Bangladesh desperately needed. Hridoy, meanwhile, continued to bat with composure and determination, reaching his third consecutive fifty plus score in Test cricket.
The partnership ended when Rabada dismissed Tanzid, who dragged a short delivery onto his stumps. Mushfiqur Rahim fell to the next ball, caught at third slip, leaving Bangladesh at 108 for 5. Rabada had taken two wickets in the same over and completed his five-wicket haul.
At that point, the innings was in danger of falling apart. Instead, Hridoy and Litton launched a remarkable recovery.
The two batters combined patience with positive strokeplay, steadily taking the attack to the South African bowlers. Hridoy brought up his half-century and then his century, while Litton grew increasingly assured at the other end. Their partnership passed 100 to become the first century stand by Bangladesh in a Test in South Africa.
It also surpassed the 99-run fourth-wicket stand between Tanzid and Hridoy, which had broken the previous record for Bangladesh in South Africa only a few hours earlier.
The pair went on to set another milestone. Their 206-run partnership became Bangladesh’s highest against South Africa in Tests, eclipsing the previous record of 138 set by Zakir Ali and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in Mirpur in 2024.
Hridoy’s century was particularly significant given the circumstances in which he came to the crease. He had arrived with Bangladesh three wickets down for only 22 runs and had to rebuild the innings against a formidable South African pace attack.
The century was his second in Test cricket, following his unbeaten 242 in the previous Test against the West Indies in Sylhet. He had also scored 82 in the second innings of that match.
His dismissal on the final delivery of the day, trapped lbw by Jansen, brought an end to an innings of 137 and the record stand with Litton. But it did little to diminish the significance of his contribution.
Litton will resume on 92 not out on the second morning, with Bangladesh in a far stronger position than seemed possible during the opening exchanges.
Earlier in the day, after winning the toss, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain had elected to bat, saying the team hoped to post a good total on a dry-looking surface. The visitors fielded three specialist fast bowlers and one spinner, with Mahfizul making his Test debut.
By the end of the day, Bangladesh had not only recovered from a collapse but also recorded their highest total against South Africa in Tests. Much of that turnaround owed to Hridoy’s outstanding 137 and his partnership with Litton, which gave the visitors a memorable first day in Johannesburg.