Bangladesh whip WI for first Test win in Caribbean since 2009

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 a Taskin delivery which kept low.

The lower order offered very little resistance, and the West Indies lost their seventh wicket when Joshua Da Silva (12) was out lbw as Taijul claimed his fifth wicket.

With the heavy lifting already done by the Man of the Match Taijul, Hasan Mahmud (two for 20) and Rana (one for 32) cleaned up the tail in quick order as Bangladesh got the massive win to level the series at 1-1.

“I think in terms of a mindset...as a group we have to come together and work on and having that intent in both innings. I think that will carry us a long way. Once we execute better going forward – I think whether you’re chasing runs or setting a total – it’s very crucial for this group,” Brathwaite said. It was a famous win for Bangladesh, as they had not won a Test away to the Caribbean since a 2-0 series win against a depleted Windies team in 2009. After that, the West Indies had rattled off three successive 2-0 series home wins in 2014, 2018 and 2022.

Fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Jayden Seales shared the Player of the Series award after taking 11 and ten wickets across the two games respectively.

The teams will now turn their attention to the three-match One-Day International series from December 8-12.

Summarised Scores:

BANGLADESH: 164 (Shadman Islam 64, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 36; Jayden Seales 4/5, Shamar Joseph 3/49) and 268 (Jaker Ali 91, S Islam 46; Kemar Roach 3/36, Alzarri Joseph 3/77) vs WEST INDIES: 146 (Keacy Carty 40, Kraigg Brathwaite 39; Nahid Rana 5/61, Hasan Mahmud 2/19) and 185 (Kavem Hodge 55, K Brathwaite 43; Taijul Islam 5/50, H Mahmud 2/20). Bangladesh won by 101 runs.