Bangladesh collapse after century as West Indies fight back
Jomel Warrican took five wickets to limit the hosts, while Tagenarine Chanderpaul anchored the visitors' second day effort.
By Alexei Malhotra ·
The opening Test in Mirpur saw a dramatic shift in momentum on the second day. West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican dismissed Bangladesh for 272, capping a performance that included five wickets in the innings.
Bangladesh started the day at 213-3. Opener Shadman Islam, who had reached 99 not out the previous day, crossed the century mark quickly. He reached his third Test century with a flick off debutant Joshua Bishop. However, Bishop trapped Islam leg before wicket in the next over, triggering a rapid decline.
The hosts lost their remaining seven wickets for 51 runs. Towhid Hridoy, who returned from a cramp injury on the first day, was bowled by Bishop without scoring. Litton Das scored 34 not out but could not prevent all out before lunch. Warrican finished with figures of 5-53, marking his fourth five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Bishop and Shamar Joseph took two wickets each.
Shadman Islam acknowledged the missed opportunity in the top order. "We should have done better," he said. "If our top-order batters had converted their scores into bigger innings of 150, 170 or even 200, the team total could have reached 450 or 500."
West Indies began their chase aggressively. John Campbell and Brandon King opened with an attacking approach. Hasan Mahmud dismissed King for 15, but Campbell continued to strike. He reached a half-century off 61 balls, guiding the visitors to 89-1 by the tea interval.
An hour-long rain delay interrupted play. When play resumed, Mehidy Hasan Miraz dismissed Campbell for 54. A sharply turning off-break took the outside edge, and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto took a diving catch. Campbell noted that the rain allowed the Bangladesh bowlers to regroup and find better areas. "The ball was a little bit darker and we had momentum going before the rain break," Campbell said.
Taijul Islam took two wickets in the 36th over, dismissing Kavem Hodge for seven and Amir Jangoo for a duck. West Indies fell to 97-4. Tagenarine Chanderpaul batted on 43 and Justin Greaves on 15 when bad light ended the day's play. The visitors trailed by 138 runs.
Source: Al Jazeera
