West Indies registered a comfortable 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first Test on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Captain Roston Chase played a key role in the victory, picking up five wickets in Bangladesh’s second innings to restrict the hosts to a lead of just 169 runs.
Chasing 170 for victory on a pitch offering assistance to the spinners, West Indies openers Brandon King and John Campbell made the task look easy. The pair added 112 runs for the first wicket, taking the game away from Bangladesh.
Campbell missed out on a half-century by just one run, but King remained unbeaten and found good support from Kavem Hodge as the hosts completed the chase before the end of the day, with a full day still remaining in the Test.
Roston Chase, Warrican Restrict Bangladesh
Bangladesh resumed Day 4 at 79/6, holding a lead of just over 100 runs. Jaker Ali and Nayeem Hasan had managed to survive the final overs on the previous evening and were expected to add some valuable runs to the total.
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However, Jomel Warrican struck early, dismissing Jaker with a thick edge that went straight to Chase at slip.
Warrican also dropped Hasan Mahmud off his own bowling, while Chase missed another opportunity at slip to give Nayeem a second chance. The Bangladesh batter made the most of the opportunity and stayed at the crease without taking unnecessary risks.
Nayeem was unbeaten on 49 when rain interrupted play. By then, Warrican had removed Hasan Mahmud, while Chase had dismissed Taijul Islam to complete his 100 Test wickets.
After the rain delay, Nayeem brought up his maiden Test half-century but could not stay for long. He tried to attack Chase in the following over and lost his wicket, giving the West Indies captain his fifth wicket of the innings.
Bangladesh were eventually bowled out, setting West Indies a target of 170 runs.
Brandon King, John Campbell Put West Indies In Control
West Indies had a few overs to negotiate before the lunch break, with Bangladesh also using two reviews for LBW decisions. However, King and Campbell managed to avoid any damage.
The opening pair looked comfortable against the Bangladesh bowling attack and continued to find boundaries. Campbell took on Mehidy Hasan Miraz, hitting him for a four and a six in the space of three balls.
West Indies reached 63 without losing a wicket in 14 overs before another rain interruption brought a brief halt to play.
The weather continued to cause interruptions, with lightning also forcing the players off the field for some time. However, it did little to slow down the West Indies openers.
King brought up his half-century with three consecutive boundaries. The second of those shots also resulted in a dropped catch at second slip, with Najmul Hossain Shanto getting injured while attempting to take it. Shanto had to leave the field.
King Guides West Indies To Comfortable Victory
Campbell looked set for a half-century but fell for 49 after edging a delivery from Shoriful Islam onto his stumps. The ball moved back in just enough to beat the left-hander.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul then joined King at the crease, but his stay was short-lived. His dismissal gave Bangladesh a brief moment of hope, but King ensured the hosts did not face any further trouble.
King also benefited from a dropped catch when he was batting on 70. At the other end, Kavem Hodge played some positive shots and helped the hosts move closer to the target.
West Indies eventually chased down 170 runs at a run rate of nearly five to seal a 10-wicket win with a day to spare.
Jomel Warrican was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance, having picked up nine wickets across the two innings.