West Indies ended a two-and-a-half-year wait for a Test win on home soil with an emphatic 201-run triumph over Bangladesh in the first Test of their two-match series in Antigua.
The hosts' commanding performance showcased their pace attack's dominance and underlined their desire to return to winning ways in the longest format.
Bangladesh’s pursuit of an improbable 334 was thwarted on Tuesday’s fifth morning at 132-9, with Shoriful Islam’s retirement due to a shoulder injury effectively sealing the result.
Shoriful’s decision not to continue resulted from Alzarri Joseph’s short-ball assault on Bangladesh number 11, as West Indies needed just seven overs to wrap things up.
Scores: West Indies 450-9 dec (Greaves 115*, Louis 97, Mahmud 3-87) and 152 (Athanaze 42, Taskin 6-64, Mehidy 2-31) beat Bangladesh 269-9 dec (Jaker 53, A Joseph 3-69, Greaves 2-34) and 132 (Mehidy 45, Roach 3-20, Seales 3-45) by 201 runs
Alzarri Joseph set the tone early, dismissing Hasan Mahmud for a duck with a sharp delivery that moved away, drawing an edge that was caught low down by wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva.
Jaker Ali, the lone resistance in Bangladesh's lower order, seemed set to delay the inevitable but was later trapped leg-before-wicket for 31 after a dogged 58-ball stay that included four boundaries.
With only two wickets left, Alzarri turned up the heat, relentlessly peppering Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful with bouncers. The West Indies fielders joined the action, adding verbal pressure to the beleaguered Bangladesh tailenders.
When Shoriful was unable to continue after Joseph's blow, the match was called off, capping an aggressive and clinical effort by the hosts.
This victory marks a turning point for the West Indies, who last tasted a home Test win in 2021. The performance was built on a foundation of aggressive fast bowling and a collective resolve to dominate in all phases of the game.
Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales ended with five wickets in the match, while Kemar Roach ended with four, and Man-of-the-Match Justin Greaves had two to go with his unbeaten 115 with the bat, as West Indies, opting to play five seamers, was not disappointed.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite praised the team’s effort, highlighting the bowlers’ role in the victory.
“A lot of learning has taken place from the England tour. Test cricket is all about learning, and that's what I tell our guys. We have seen a hundred here, and that was positive. Good to get a Test win, and we continue working hard. [On five-man pace attack] It all depends on the surface, but these guys have different skill set,” Brathwaite said in a post-game interview.
“Where improvement is concerned, we have to stay hungry is one. Some guys got big fifties; it was good to see, but this Test is over. We need to keep at it,” he added.
Now leading 1-0, Brathwaite and his team will be aiming to wrap up the series when the second match bowls off at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Saturday.
West Indies used England lessons in Bangladesh victory – Brathwaite
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite praised his team-mates for putting the lessons of their series whitewash by England into action, as they earned a rare home win versus Bangladesh.
The Windies earned their first home Test victory in over two years on Tuesday, with two wickets from Alzarri Joseph helping them wrap up a 201-run triumph.
The best Bangladesh can now hope for from the two-match series is a draw, with West Indies snapping a miserable run of red-ball results.
They were beaten 3-0 by England on their most recent foreign tour in July, before going down 1-0 over two home matches against South Africa in August.
Speaking after the win in Antigua, Brathwaite said: "A lot of learning has taken place from the England tour. Test cricket is all about learning and that's what I tell our guys.
"We have seen a hundred here [from Justin Greaves] and that was a positive. It's good to get a Test win and we continue working hard."
While Joseph finished with figures of 3-69, Jayden Seales and Greaves also dismissed two apiece in Bangladesh's second innings, leading Brathwaite to praise his pace attack.
"It all depends on the surface, but these guys have different skill sets," he said. "We have to stay hungry, that's one.
"Some guys got big fifties, it was good to see but this Test is over. We need to keep at it. The fans' support means a lot. I have seen the guys supporting us not just here but also in the first-class cricket."
Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz also praised his bowlers, in particular six-wicket star Taskin Ahmed, but conceded they did not do enough with the bat.
"Think we bowled really well. Taskin got six wickets but they had a got partnership after they were down seven wickets," Miraz said. "Then the match was lost there.
"We didn't bat well in this match. I think we made a few mistakes but that can happen. We hope to come back strongly in the next match.
"We know what mistakes we made and we need to come back stronger. We will have a chat among ourselves. We have got a pace attack who bowled really well in the first innings. I am really happy with their performance."
West Indies end long wait for home Test win
Alzarri Joseph took two wickets in the first session on day five as West Indies wrapped up a 201-run win over Bangladesh in Antigua.
Bangladesh lasted less than seven overs on Tuesday, as the Windies sealed their first home Test win in over two years in style.
Joseph (2-32) dismissed Hasan Mahmud (0), before ending Jaker Ali's brave stand on 31.
That left the tourists on 129-9, and Joseph then sent a fierce bouncer into the shoulder of Shoriful Islam.
Shoriful attempted to push on, but lasted just eight balls before he was forced to retire hurt, ensuring Bangladesh's innings came to an end and marking an emphatic victory for West Indies.
Data Debrief: No place like home
This is the first time the Windies have won a Test at home since they beat Bangladesh in June 2022, ending a four-match winless streak.
West Indies have won six of their last seven Test series against Bangladesh (one loss) including each of their last two, and they now have an unassailable 1-0 lead with just one more match to play in the series, so the best Bangladesh can hope for is a draw.
Pakistan thrash Zimbabwe behind Ayub ton to level ODI series
Saim Ayub made a 53-ball century and Abrar Ahmed took four wickets on debut as Pakistan trounced Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to level the teams' ODI series at 1-1 on Tuesday.
Having lost a rain-hit opener by DLS method on Sunday, Pakistan raced to victory in the second match in Bulawayo, thanks in part to a brilliant display of spin bowling.
Debutant Abrar was the pick of the bunch among their attack, finishing with figures of 4-33, while Salman Agha went 3-26 as the hosts were skittled for 145 runs within 33 overs.
Dion Myers top-scored with just 33 for Zimbabwe before being trapped lbw by Salman, with six home batters in single figures as their innings unravelled.
Any hopes that Pakistan's Sunday struggles might reappear were swiftly eradicated when the tourists took up the bat, with Ayub (113) teaming up with Abdullah Shafique (32) for an unbeaten stand of 145.
Ayub smashed Sikandar Raza's delivery for four to get Pakistan over the line in barely more than 18 overs, making Thursday's final ODI a series decider.
The teams will then face off in three T20Is, with the opening match of that series, which is also being staged entirely in Bulawayo, set for Sunday.
Data Debrief: Ayub the best of the rest
Ayub's century was the fastest ODI hundred ever made by a Pakistan player excluding the legendary Shahid Afridi.
The latter's record stands at 102 off 37 balls against Sri Lanka in 1996, while he also hit a 45-ball ton against India in 2005.
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