All the ingredients of an exciting Test match, that is often the case on a spicy pitch, frothed out in the last two sessions in Chattogram. After Shimron Hetmyer and Shane Dowrich made 63 each to give West Indies some breathing space, 17-year old Nayeem Hasan became the youngest-ever debutant to take a five-wicket haul. But Bangladesh’s tendency to collapse was sparked in the final hour and 15 minutes of an absorbing second day.
West Indies spinners Jomel Warrican and Roston Chase took two wickets each as the home side crawled to 55 for 5 at stumps, extending their lead to 133 runs. But they have plenty of rebuilding remaining on the third day with Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan the unbeaten batsmen at the crease.
Warrican removed Imrul Kayes in the second over, bowled with a left-arm spinner’s classic that spun between bat and pad. Soumya Sarkar had a second failure in the game, caught at first slip where Kraigg Brathwaite took a juggling catch off Roston Chase. He then removed Mominul Haque, who made his eighth Test hundred in the first innings, with a delivery that spun back into his pads. Mominul opted out of a review after discussion with Mohammad Mithun.
Shakib’s dismissal was the biggest moment, though. With his side reeling on 35 for three with more than 11 overs remaining in the day, the Bangladesh captain slog swept Warrican straight to deep midwicket off the second ball he faced.
After a little resistance, Devendra Bishoo removed Mohammad Mithun for the second time in the game, this time the Bangladesh No. 4 played back to a fullish delivery, and was bowled.
Spin was the order of the day as Nayeem’s 5-61 had earlier headlined Bangladesh’s spinners dominance over the West Indies. He took three wickets after the tea break, removing Bishoo, Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican, to add to his two wickets in the middle session.
Nayeem beat Pat Cummins’ record as the youngest Test debutant to take a five-wicket haul, and overall became the fourth youngest of all time to take a five-for. He is now the eighth Bangladeshi to take a five-wicket haul, and the fourth youngest of all time to take a five-for in Tests.
After Bangladesh added just nine runs in 4.4 overs in the morning, West Indies had made a nervous start to their innings. Opener Kieran Powell survived an lbw decision and a close stumping chance before being dropped by Mushfiqur off the last ball, although the outside edge was detected much later. Taijul finally put him out of his misery in the 11th over, when he was given lbw after missing a sweep shot on the stumps.
Shakib then got into the act with the wickets of Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite, the most important batsmen in the West Indies line-up. Hope missed a delivery that pitched outside leg-stump but spun back to hit the leg-stump, while Brathwaite edged to first slip where Soumya Sarkar took an easy catch.
Roston Chase, who was taken by Imrul Kayes at short leg, became Nayeem’s maiden Test wicket before he had Ambris playing back to a delivery that ripped back into his pads from outside off-stump, the lbw decision an easy one.
But from 88 for 5, Hetmyer counter-attacked his way to 63 off 47 balls with five fours and four sixes. He added 92 for the sixth wicket with Shane Dowrich, who remained unbeaten on a fighting 63. He struck two fours and three sixes during his 101-ball stay.
It was mostly Hetmyer who hit back, starting with a pull over mid-on off Nayeem, and two sixes off successive balls off Taijul, both on the leg-side. His third six came off Nayeem over long-off, after he had struck him for a four through point. Hetmyer reached his fifty off 42 balls before blasting Shakib over mid-on twice in the same over, the first going for four and the next for a six. (ESPNCricinfo)
