Mirpur: West Indies wrapped up a commanding eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Saturday, chasing down a target of 170 in just 35.1 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series and end the hosts’ long unbeaten run at home.
The win was set up by the spinners and finished by the openers. Bangladesh, resuming day four on 79 for 6 with a lead of only 106, were bowled out for 142 in their second innings despite a fighting maiden Test half-century from Nayeem Hasan, who made 52 off 91 balls. Captain Roston Chase finished with 5 for 36, a haul that took him past 100 Test wickets, while left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, who had taken 5 for 53 in the first innings, added 4 for 63 as the pair shared nine wickets between them. Bangladesh had added only 63 runs for their last four wickets, and a target of 170 on a turning pitch proved far too small.
West Indies’ chase was never in doubt after a blistering start. Openers Brandon King and John Campbell put on 121 runs for the first wicket, bringing up their fifty partnership inside 11 overs and draining the tension out of the chase. Campbell made 49 before Shoriful Islam broke the stand, but King carried on to an unbeaten 81 off 115 balls — his career-best Test score, struck with 10 fours and a six — and Kavem Hodge finished unbeaten on 31 off 27 deliveries to take the visitors over the line with eight wickets and more than a session to spare.
The result carries real weight for both sides. It ended Bangladesh’s five-match winning streak at home, and it was Bangladesh’s third consecutive home Test defeat against the Caribbean side. For the World Test Championship, the defeat is a serious setback: with five matches remaining in the current cycle, Bangladesh now face a steep climb to stay in final contention, while West Indies have given their own campaign a timely lift.
Bangladesh will rue a second-innings collapse that had already begun on day three, when Chase and Warrican reduced them from a position of promise to 53 for 6, frittering away a first-innings advantage of 27 runs built on Shadman Islam’s century in a total of 272 against West Indies’ 245.
The second and final Test of the series begins in Sylhet on November 5, with Bangladesh needing a win to square the series and West Indies one draw away from a series victory on the road.
Read our Day 3 report here: https://t20star.com/chases-all-round-show-leaves-bangladesh-79-for-6-as-west-indies-fight-back-on-day-3-in-mirpur/
Brief scores: Bangladesh 272 (Shadman Islam 105; Jomel Warrican 5-53) and 142 (Nayeem Hasan 52; Roston Chase 5-36, Warrican 4-63) lost to West Indies 245 and 170/2 (Brandon King 81*, John Campbell 49, Kavem Hodge 31*) by 8 wickets.
