BANGLADESH got their first Test win on Caribbean soil in 15 years when they defeated West Indies by 101 runs in the second Test of their two-match series at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on December 3.
After being bowled out for 268 in their second innings in the first session on day four, the Bangladeshis set the West Indies 287 for victory. Having been bowled out for a measly 146 in their first innings, the West Indies needed to knock off the highest chase at the Sabina venue in order to get the win and seal the series.
As it turned out, the West Indies had little to no answers for the Phil Simmons-coached team as they were bowled out for 185 in the final session of the day’s play.
The hosts were rattled by the pace of Nahid Rana in the first innings. However, in the second innings, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam (five for 50) was the star of the show for the visitors and he ripped through the opposition’s lineup to get his 15th five-wicket haul in the format.
“(The batting is) not to the level we know it can be,” said West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, when asked about his team’s inability to get beyond 200 runs in both innings.
“(These are young guys in terms of playing Test cricket and in terms of games. It’s important to learn as you play. I think as you get in pressure situations it’s about executing better and sticking to those plans.
“Playing Test cricket is a high-pressure game and I think our execution could be a lot better as batsmen, whether it’s attacking shots especially. Once we get better at that, I think this group could do great things with the bat.”
Just before lunch, Taijul got things started when he had Mikyle Louis (six) caught at short leg by Shahadat Hossain.
Brathwaite (43 off 63 balls) took an unusually aggressive approach, and he and Keacy Carty (14) appeared to be steadying the ship before the latter was dismissed by Taskin Ahmed (two for 45) as the Windies slipped to 57 for two.
After hitting two fours and the solitary six, Brathwaite was next to be dismissed when Taijul induced an edge for the Windies skipper to be caught in the slip cordon.
“It was all about being positive,” Brathwaite said, of the team’s approach. “That was the first thing I let the guys know. I thought we started well. Obviously, we didn’t carry it through the day.”
The game was in the balance at the Tea interval as the West Indies progressed to 133 for four after Alick Athanaze (five) was bowled when he attempted an ambitious shot off Taijul. With first Test centurion Justin Greaves and Kavem Hodge in the middle, the West Indies still had some hope. However, the final session was totally controlled by Bangladesh as the remaining six West Indies wickets fell for just 52 runs after the break. Having successfully reviewed an LBW decision against Taijul earlier in the day, Hodge (55 off 75) was sent back to the pavilion when he was trapped in front by the now rampant spinner.
Just four overs later, the West Indies were in all sorts of trouble at 156 for six as Greaves (20) was bowled by
