Left arm sprinner Jomel Warrican snatched three wickets but veteran all-rounder Shakib-al-Hasan anchored two critical late partnerships to keep West Indies at bay on the opening day of the first Test in Chattogram today.
Cruising on 119 for two with tea approaching at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Bangladesh suffered two major setbacks when Warrican removed the two set batsmen, opener Shadman Islam and captain Mominul Haque in the space of seven overs.
Warrican then knocked over veteran wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim on the stroke of the final hour to finish with three for 58 as the hosts recovered to end on 242 for five at the close.
Shadman top-scored with 59 while Shakib ended unbeaten on 39 after posting a precious 59 for the fifth wicket with Mushfiqur who got a start with 38 but failed to convert.
Liton Das helped frustrate West Indies in the final hour with a fluent unbeaten 34, partnering with Shakib in a crucial unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 49, while Mominul (26) and Najmul Hossain (25) provided supporting knocks earlier on.
After handing debuts to the trio of Shayne Moseley, Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers, West Indies got an early breakthrough when seamer Kemar Roach got left-handed Tamim Iqbal to play on for nine in the morning’s fifth over with the score on 23.
Left-handers Shadman and Najmul repaired the innings in a calm 43-run, second wicket stand which saw Bangladesh safely through the remainder of the first hour.
Shadman, in his seventh Test, struck six fours in an innings which lasted 154 balls and just shy of four hours overall while Najmul faced 58 balls and counted three fours.
Neither appeared ruffled by the Windies attack and it took a run-out to end the partnership, about half-hour before lunch.
Shadman worked a delivery from medium pacer Mayers to fine leg and sprinted the first run before setting off for the second without hesitation.
Najmul, however, remained rooted at the striker’s end and belatedly set off for the second with Shadman metres away from the same end.
Roach pinged the return from the outfield to wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva who relayed the ball to Mayers to complete the run out with Najmul stranded mid-pitch.
Mominul endured some uncomfortable moments against fast bowler Shannon Gabriel to reach lunch on two with Bangladesh on 69 for two, and in concert with Shadman afterwards, stretched the third wicket stand to 53.
West Indies stifled Bangladesh following the interval, with the hosts managing a single boundary in the first 14 overs before Mayers gave up two in the final over before the drinks break, to see them past 100.
Shadman then raised his second Test fifty in the fifth over afterwards when he drove Warrican to the cover boundary but the bowler got revenge in the next over when Mominul whipped a catch to John Campbell at short mid-wicket.
And in the penultimate over before tea, Warrican claimed his second wicket when he gained an lbw decision against Shadman after the batsman missed a sweep at a fullish delivery. The batsman didn’t review and the replays showed the ball would have missed the stumps.
On 140 for four at the break, Bangladesh controlled the final session thanks to Shakib who found himself at the heart of two partnerships.
He and Mushfiqur dominated the first hour after the resumption, both batsmen capitalising on scoring opportunities as West Indies bowlers struggled for accuracy.
Mushfiqur had punched six fours off 69 balls in just over an hour-and-a-half at the crease when he nicked a forward defensive prod at Warrican to slip where Rahkeem Cornwall snared an excellent low catch.
Well poised to run through the lower order, West Indies found themselves thwarted by Shakib, who has so far faced 92 balls and struck four fours, and Das who has hit six fours in a 58-ball innings.
Das was missed by Bonner at short leg off Cornwall when he had scored only two but then played solidly against the Windies seamers in the final hour, after captain Kraigg Brathwaite opted for the second new ball. (CMC)
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