West Indies secured a dominant eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh on the fourth day of the opening Test in Mirpur to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match ICC World Test Championship series. A stellar bowling and batting display put the tourists firmly in control before rain interruptions could cause any significant delay.
Chasing a target of 170 runs for victory after securing a slender first-innings lead, West Indies reached their goal comfortably thanks to an unbeaten knock of 81 from opening batsman Brandon King. The result moves the visitors ahead in the series ahead of the second Test in Sylhet.
The fourth day began with Bangladesh in a precarious position at 79-6 in their second innings, struggling to build a competitive total on a slow turning track. Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican struck early by removing Jaker Ali, who edged a delivery to Roston Chase at slip.
Nayeem Hasan mounted some resistance for the hosts with a fighting half-century, scoring 52 runs under immense pressure. However, the combination of Warrican and Chase proved too difficult to handle on the deteriorating surface as Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 142.
Roston Chase was the standout performer with the ball for the touring side, claiming figures of 5-36 to record his fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket. His clever variations bamboozled the lower order and ensured Bangladesh could not set a challenging target.
Left with a target of 170, West Indies openers John Campbell and Brandon King immediately took the attack to the home spinners, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam. The pair raced past the 50-run mark quickly with a flurry of aggressive strokes.
Rain interrupted play intermittently throughout the afternoon session, but the weather failed to disrupt the concentration of the West Indian openers. Following each rain delay, Campbell and King returned to the crease and raised the scoring rate even higher.
Bangladesh had an opportunity to break the partnership in the 19th over when Najmul Hossain Shanto dropped Campbell, though the fielder injured his thumb in the process and had to leave the field. Shoriful Islam eventually provided a breakthrough by bowling Campbell for 49 with the total at 112.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul fell cheaply soon after, but Kavem Hodge joined King at the crease to steady the innings. Hodge provided solid support as King guided the team past the target with eight wickets in hand.
The defeat caused Bangladesh to slip one position in the ICC World Test Championship standings down to fifth place with a points percentage of 47.62. Meanwhile, India moved up to fourth position in the table with 51.52 points percentage.
The attention now turns to the second and final match of the Test series. Sylhet will host the second encounter between the two sides, which is scheduled to get underway on November 5.
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