Shadman Stranded on 99 as Bangladesh Reach 213/3 on Bad-Light-Curtailed Opening Day in Mirpur

Mirpur: Shadman Islam was left stranded one run short of a century as bad light brought an early end to the opening day of the first Test against West Indies, with Bangladesh closing on 213 for 3 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Shadman, unbeaten on 99 from 219 balls with 10 fours, batted through the entire day after Bangladesh had won the toss and chosen to bat first. It was an innings of patience and discipline on a surface offering steep bounce and late movement, and it became only the second time a Bangladeshi batter has ended a day’s play unbeaten on 99, after Mushfiqur Rahim — who missed this match through injury. The day had begun badly for the hosts. Jayden Seales struck early, having Tanzid Hasan caught at second slip for 7, and Shadman had to rebuild from 9 for 1. He found a partner in Mominul Haque, and the pair added 59 for the second wicket before Mominul fell to a loose shot, lofting left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican to mid-off for 28. Warrican struck again to remove captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, trapped lbw for 19 after a successful West Indies review, and at 110 for 3 the match was in the balance. But Shadman held firm, and Towhid Hridoy — playing in place of the injured Mushfiqur — batted positively for 42 from 84 balls before a left hamstring injury suffered while running between the wickets forced him off the field on a stretcher, retired hurt. Liton Das, returning to the side after injury, joined Shadman and was unbeaten on 10 when the umpires called time. Play had already been interrupted once for bad light and, after a brief resumption, was called off for good in the late afternoon, denying Shadman the chance to reach his third Test century before stumps. He will resume on the second morning one run away, with Bangladesh’s middle order still to come. Warrican was West Indies’ most successful bowler with 2 for 33, while Seales took 1 for 14 in a probing new-ball spell. Shamar Joseph, Justin Greaves, captain Roston Chase and debutant left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop went wicketless on a day when the bowlers had to work hard for every opening. This is the first of Bangladesh’s remaining six Tests in their bid to reach the World Test Championship final for the first time, and a big first-innings total here would be the ideal start. On day one, Shadman gave them the platform — now he needs one more run, and his team-mates need to turn it into something much bigger. Read the toss report: https://t20star.com/mushfiqur-rahim-ruled-out-injured-as-bangladesh-bat-first-against-west-indies-in-mirpur-test/ Brief scores: Bangladesh 213/3 in 74 overs (Shadman Islam 99*, Towhid Hridoy 42 retired hurt, Mominul Haque 28; Warrican 2-33, Seales 1-14) vs West Indies.