Taijul Islam (second left) led the way with the ball for the Bangladeshis with 5-50.
Athelstan Bellamy
Bangladesh completed their first Test match win in the Caribbean in 15 years with a dominant 101-run victory over the West Indies at Sabina Park to draw their two-match series 1-1 on Tuesday.
The tourists started Tuesday’s play in a strong position, 193-5 in 41.4 overs, leading by 211 in their second innings with Jaker Ali and Taijul Islam in the middle on 29 and 9, respectively.
Islam added a further five runs before becoming the first batsman dismissed on the day, caught by Kavem Hodge off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph in the 50th over if the innings.
The wicket of Mominul Haque followed soon after for a duck, leaving Bangladesh 211-7 in the 51st over and giving the hosts hope of wrapping up the innings in quick time to try and secure a series win with the bat.
Ali had other ideas, however, scoring rapidly in the midst of the falling wickets at the other end due to some adventurous stroke making, entertaining the small Sabina Park crowd.
Hasan Mahmud (3) and Taskin Ahmed (0) came and went during Ali’s onslaught that saw Bangladesh make it all the way to 268 all out off 59.5 overs.
Ali, in just his third Test match, was the last man dismissed for a crucial 91 off just 106 balls including eight fours and five sixes.
Kemar Roach finished with 3-36 off 10 overs while Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph also had good spells with 3-77 and 2-80 off 15.5 and 12 overs, respectively.
Set 287 to win, West Indian openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis set out to first ensure that they got to the lunch break without the loss of a wicket.
Unfortunately, even that task proved too much as, in the fifth over of the innings and final one before lunch, Louis (6) played a full delivery from left arm spinner Taijul Islam onto his foot which then lobbed in the air to be caught by Shahadat Hossain fielding at short leg, leaving the West Indies 23-1 off 4.2 overs at lunch.
The post lunch session started with Brathwaite and new batsman Keacy Carty attempting to get stuck into some disciplined Bangladesh bowling.
Almost ten overs into the session, however, Carty played at one to many, edging behind to Litton Das off the bowling of Taijul Islam for 14 leaving the hosts 57-2, needing a further 230 to win.
35 runs later, Brathwaite got a beauty from Islam producing an edge that was parried off the gloves of Das into the arms of the diving Mahmudul Hasan Joy at first slip. Brathwaite made an uncharacteristic 63-ball 43 including two fours and a six.
Three quickly became four as Islam struck once again, this time breaching the defense of Alick Athanaze for five to leave the hosts 106-4 in the 27th over with hopes of a win looking dimmer by the second.
Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves tried to steady proceedings with a 37-run fifth wicket partnership, which lasted through the tea break.
During that partnership, Hodge brought up his third Test fifty before being dismissed not long after, trapped in front for 55 by Islam with the score on 143 in the 39th over.
The wickets of Justin Greaves (20) in the 43rd over and Joshua Da Silva (12) in the 46th over basically ended all hope for what already looked like an improbable victory. Da Silva’s wicket brought up Islam’s 15th five wicket haul in Tests.
Fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud and first innings hero Nahid Rana combined with the wickets of Alzarri Joseph (5), Kemar Roach (8) and Shamar Joseph (8) to bowl out the West Indies for 185 in 50 overs and secure Bangladesh’s first win in the Caribbean since 2009.
Islam’s final figures were 5-50 off 17 overs while Mahmud and Taskin Ahmed took 2-20 from six overs and 2-45 from 10 overs, respectively.
Full Scores:
Bangladesh 164 off 71.5 overs (Shadman Islam 64, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 36, Jayden Seales 4-5, Shamar Joseph 3-49, Kemar Roach 2-45) & 268 off 59.5 overs (Jaker Ali 91, Shadman Islam 46, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 42, Kemar Roach 2-36, Alzarri Joseph 3-77, Shamar Joseph 2-80)
West Indies 146 off 65 overs (Keacy Carty 40, Kraigg Brathwaite 39, Nahid Rana 5-61, Hasan Mahmud 2-19) & 185 off 50 overs (Kavem Hodge 55, Kraigg Brathwaite 43, Taijul Islam 5-50, Hasan Mahmud 2-20, Taskin Ahmed 2-45).
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Archer must build fitness to 'handle extra pressure' of Test cricket, says Stokes
Ben Stokes says Jofra Archer must build up his fitness to handle the "extra pressure of a Test match", after the pace bowler extended his contract with England up to September 2026.
Archer has not played a Test since 2021, with back and elbow injuries severely hampering his progress.
England have carefully managed the 29-year-old's involvement, and he has been part of their white-ball setup since May.
Although, it remains to be seen whether he will be involved in next year's five-match series with India or the Ashes, after he was signed by Rajasthan Royals in the recent Indian Premier League auction.
That means he will miss the early part of the 2025 County Championship season with Sussex due to an overlap in the competitions, and his red-ball action will be limited ahead of the series with India.
"The excitement is understandable around Jofra," Stokes said. "The best thing is he is back on the field playing.
"The injuries and surgeries he has gone through could have ended careers, so there is no rushing back.
"No doubt he is going so well at the moment. He will have to build the body up to handle the extra pressure of a Test match."
Jacob Bethell has also signed a new two-year deal with England, while seamers Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse have extended for another year.
England unchanged for Wellington Test as Pope keeps wicket again
England have selected an unchanged team for the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington, with Ollie Pope again deputising as wicketkeeper.
England triumphed by eight wickets in the first of three Tests in Christchurch, with debutant Jacob Bethell hitting an unbeaten half-century to guide the tourists over the line in their second innings.
Pope, meanwhile, was faultless behind the stumps as he stood in for the injured Jordan Cox and also made 77 with the bat in the first innings, hitting his first half-century since September.
Team-mate Chris Woakes told BBC Sport he was impressed by the way Pope had taken on the role, saying: "They always say when you don't notice a keeper he's done a good job.
"Ollie certainly did that. He was brilliant last week, stepping into a role he hasn't done a lot of.
"Obviously he can keep and has done previously for England, but to step up at short notice like that and do the job he did was fantastic.
"For him to score runs just shows his character, putting his hand up for the team without any fuss and cracking on. To move to number six, get such a good score for us and contribute to a big partnership was massive."
Captain Ben Stokes, meanwhile, keeps his place as an all-rounder after overcoming an injury scare in the first Test,
England team: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope (wk), Ben Stokes (c), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir.
Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair fined for breaching ICC Code of Conduct
West Indies bowlers Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair have been found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct in their recently concluded second Test match against Bangladesh.
Seales has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee after being found to have breached article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.”
In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Seales’ disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.
The incident occurred in the first over of Bangladesh’s second batting innings when Seales made an inappropriate and overly aggressive gesture towards the opposition’s dressing room after taking a wicket.
Sinclair has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee after he was found to have breached Article 2.4 of the Code of Conduct, which relates to "disobeying an Umpire’s instruction during an International Match.”
In addition to his fine, one demerit point has been added to Sinclair’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.
The incident took place when Sinclair ignored the instructions of the on-field umpires to stop using language deemed aggressive and harsh towards the Bangladesh batters.
Seales and Sinclair admitted their respective offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Asif Yaqoob and Kumar Dharmasena, third umpire Nitin Menon, and fourth umpire Zahid Bassarath levelled the charges.
Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
NB: When a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points, and a player is banned.
In addition to that, two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player.
Finally, demerit points to remain on a player or player support personnel’s disciplinary record for a period of twenty-four (24) months from their imposition, following which they will be expunged.
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