West Indies are very much on top entering the final leg of the first Test against Bangladesh, following a surprise sporting declaration by the visitors overnight, and after 17 wickets tumbled on the fourth day.
Day 4 concluded on Monday at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in North Sound, Antigua & Barbuda.
Bangladesh declared their innings overnight at 269-9, after bad light had stopped play at the end of the third day. The visitors were at the time 181 runs behind the West Indies, who themselves had declared on Saturday at 450-9.
With plenty of time remaining in the contest, Bangladesh appeared to be banking on the brittleness of the home team’s batting to give them a manageable target in the fourth innings. And for a time, they seemed to have made a good gamble.
Taskin Ahmed’s first-ever five-wicket haul in Tests, began with the dismissals of Mikyle Louis and Keacy Carty for single-figure scores. Shoriful Islam then dismissed West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite for 23, and West Indies were 39-3, leading by 220.
Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze added exactly 50 as a pair, with eight fours between them either side of lunch. Taskin came back to entice Hodge into giving Litton Das his 100th catch in Tests. The in-form Justin Greaves, a centurion in the first innings, made just two before becoming Taskin’s fourth wicket.
In between the two, Mehidy Hasan Miraz had Athanaze trapped leg before wicket for a useful 42, a score that set the home team to rights.
Joshua Da Silva and Alzarri Joseph set about their business with alacrity, moving the score from 95-6 to 124-7, before Da Silva went for 22, including a lovely straight six. Joseph and Kemar Roach put on a further 20, before the former fell for 17.
Roach added 12, and was last out, but not before Shamar Joseph’s dismissal gave Taskin his fivefer. Roach’s wicket was simply the cherry on top, as Taskin ended on 6-64, with West Indies all out 152.
With a target of 334, and mindful of the West Indies struggles to dismiss teams of recency, Bangladesh would not have been terribly displeased with their declaration.
But Roach quickly gave them reason for doubt, as he cleaned up Zakir Hasan for a duck in the first over. By the fourth over, Jayden Seales had taken the wicket of Mahmudul Hasan Joy for six. And by the 11th, Roach had Shahadat Hossain caught behind for four.
Mominul Haque was caught and bowled Roach for 11 off 36 balls. Litton Das’ brief resistance ended when he was caught Alzarri Joseph off the bowling of Shamar Joseph for 22. The captain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, made a quickfire 45 from 36 balls before becoming Seales’ second wicket. Just before the close, Taijul Islam became the third, bowled for four.
Roach ended on 3-20 and Seales on 3-31, with the home team needing only three more wickets to kick the two-match series off with a win. Just 109-7 at the close, Bangladesh face the nigh impossible task of getting 225 on the final day for the win.
“Obviously, we wanted some more runs with the bat,” Roach admitted. “But I think as a bowling group, as I said a very highly skillful bowling group, I think the communication was good once we started well with the ball. That comes from me and Jayden, once you started off with the ball, probably get one or two wickets up front, I think we’re going to be in the game for the rest of the days.
“It’s obviously tough, not much rest, we had a very long first innings. But to come back in this evening, obviously the way we bowled, fantastic. And I want to praise on the bowling group, the communication, the enjoyment we have. It’s a good working unit, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Roach now has 54 wickets at this venue. The 17 wickets that fell on Monday were a record for a single day in a test match at Antigua.
(TF)
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