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• Greaves’ maiden century powers Windies to control on day two as Bangladesh reeling at 40-2

  West Indies took firm control of their opening Test match against Bangladesh as Justin Greaves’ maiden century piloted the Caribbean side to a mammoth first innings total of 450-9 declared at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday.

  The hosts then restricted Bangladesh to 40-2 at the close of day two, leaving the visitors with a steep challenge ahead as they look to recover from a poor start.

  Mominul Haque, not out on 7, and Shahadat Hossain, unbeaten on 10, will resume on Sunday with Bangladesh at 40-2, still trailing by 410 runs.

  Greaves, who enjoyed sublime form in the Super50 Cup with three consecutive centuries, continued that rich vein of form with an unbeaten 115 that anchored West Indies’ innings and ensured a daunting total on the board.

  The 30-year-old’s knock, which lasted just over six hours, had only four boundaries and was crucial in reviving the innings after a mid-session slump.

  Scores: West Indies 450-9 dec; Bangladesh 40-2

  West Indies resumed the day at 250-5 with Greaves on 11, and Joshua da Silva, 14, looking to consolidate their position. However, early breakthroughs from Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud threatened to derail the West Indies’ momentum.

  Mahmud struck in the first session, removing da Silva without addition to his overnight score, and Alzarri Joseph (four), who also fell cheaply to leave West Indies at a precarious 261-7.

  At that point, the Bangladesh bowlers seemed poised to bowl the Caribbean side down for a score under 300, but Greaves and veteran pacer Kemar Roach had other ideas.

  The two Barbadians countered the pressure with patience, building a partnership of 140 runs for the eighth wicket that pushed West Indies past the 400-run mark.

  Roach, who had previously struggled with the bat in Tests, made 47—his highest Test score in his 15-year career. He batted for over four hours, frustrating the Bangladesh bowlers with steady defence and timely strokes.

  Together, Roach and Greaves weathered the storm, forcing Bangladesh to toil longer and harder than expected. Greaves, in particular, looked in complete control, while Roach’s composed knock provided vital support.

  West Indies then made quick inroads in Bangladesh’s reply and reduced the visitors to 2-21, with both openers back in the pavilion cheaply. Alzarri Joseph was the first to strike, removing Mahmudul Hasan Joy for just five runs before Jayden Seales cleaned up Zakir Hasan for 15.

  With Bangladesh struggling at 2-21, it seemed as though West Indies were on the brink of another quick domination as they sought to dismiss the Bangladesh top-order cheaply. However, Mominul Haque and Shahadat Hossain managed to negotiate the remainder of the day without further loss.

• Host T&T, Jamaica register double wins on Rugby Americas North opening day

  Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago were the only double winners on day one of the 2024 Rugby Americas North (RAN) tournament as their men and women teams registered contrasting victories at the Larry Gomes Stadium on Friday.

  Trinidad and Tobago’s men came from behind to secure an unlikely and dramatic 12-5 victory over Mexico, while the Twin Island Republic’s women thrashed Barbados 37-0, as both teams put themselves on course for top spots in their respective round-robin groups.

  Meanwhile, Jamaica’s men edged Cayman Islands 22-21, while the women were 40-12 winners over the Dominican Republic.

  Canada and Barbados were also victorious in men’s Tier One action, bettering Guyana 29-0 and Bermuda 19-7, respectively.

  In the men’s Tier Two division, Curacao topped Turks and Caicos 31-5, and the Dominican Republic secured a 46-0 win over St Vincent & the Grenadines.

  The other women’s encounter saw Mexico register a comfortable 39-0 over Trinidad and Tobago’s ‘B’ team.

  Action continues on Saturday with Trinidad and Tobago's women and their Jamaican counterparts doing battle, while the hosts’ B team will cross swords with the Dominican Republic to get the day going.

  Day Two Fixtures

  Women

  Trinidad and Tobago ‘B’ vs Dominican Republic

  Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica

  Trinidad and Tobago vs Dominican Republic

  Trinidad and Tobago ‘B’ vs Barbados

  Trinidad and Tobago vs Mexico

  Trinidad and Tobago ‘B’ vs Jamaica

  Men’s tier one

  Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica

  Trinidad and Tobago vs Cayman Islands

   

• Australia have 'serious work to do' against India, McSweeney concedes

  Nathan McSweeney conceded Australia have "serious work to do" if they are to get back into the first Test against India.

  The Baggy Greens trail by 218 runs heading into day three in Perth after an unbroken century partnership of Yashasvi Jaiswal (90) and KL Rahul (62) put the tourists well in control at 172-0 at stumps.

  Though they resumed at 67-7, Australia could only add another 37 runs and were bowled out for 104.

  McSweeney acknowledged the hosts must improve, and quickly.

  "It definitely hasn't gone to plan in the past couple of days," he told ABC. "We've got some serious work to do to get back into this Test. It looks like it is getting easier to bat, so hopefully we get early wickets tomorrow and get batting.

  "It is definitely a new-ball wicket. All the damage was done before we could get through to the 35-40-over mark with the bat, so the trick will be nullifying the new ball and having batters in for the 40-80-over mark."

  Former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann added: "It was a tough day, but hats off to the two Indian batters. They were excellent today and weathered the storm, and they got to the stage where they could take the game on.

  "India are well ahead of the game. The wicket has settled down a little bit, but that is more because the Australia bowlers were tired from the first innings and having to bat two hours today."