CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh, CMC – West Indies gifted the gutsy Mehidy Hasan Miraz his maiden Test hundred before quick strikes by seamer Mustafizur Rahman put them under further pressure, but captain Kraigg Brathwaite propped up the innings with a breezy knock on day two of the opening Test here yesterday.
Arriving at number eight in the morning’s third over, the 23-year-old Mehidy – known more for his bedazzling off-spin – rode his luck in an adventurous 103 which propelled Bangladesh to an imposing 430 in their first innings at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
All-rounder Shabib-al-Hasan converted his overnight 39 into 68 while Liton Das added only four to his overnight 34 and number 10 Nayeem Hasab hit 24.
Left-armer Mustafizur then ploughed through West Indies’ top order removing opener John Campbell for three and debutant Shayne Moseley (3) in quick succession, to reduce the innings to 24 for two.
However, Brathwaite played positively to end unbeaten on 49, featuring in a crucial unbroken third wicket stand of 51 with debutant Nkrumah Bonner who was unbeaten on 17, to see the Caribbean side to 75 for two at the close.
Brathwaite has faced 81 deliveries and struck seven fours while Bonner has counted two boundaries in his 58-ball stay at the crease. West Indies enter day three of the contest still requiring a further 355 runs to overhaul Bangladesh.
Warrican (4-133) gave West Indies the start they needed in his second over of the day when he picked up his fourth wicket, bowling Liton Das after the right-hander misjudged the line and attempted to cut.
With Bangladesh on 248 six, West Indies were sensing a way through but Mehidy turned the tide in his side’s favour by inspiring three successive important partnerships.
All told, the right-hander struck 13 fours off 168 balls in a shade over 3-¾ hours at the crease, but the innings was not without chances.
On 24, he was put down by Moseley at silly point off Warrican, mis-stumped on 72 off off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall and then missed by Cornwall at slip off Bonner’s part-time spin on 85.
Undeterred, Mehidy produced a combination of drives, flicks and delicate sweeps as he first put on 57 for the seventh wicket with Shakib, to steer Bangladesh safely through the remainder of the first hour.
Skakib reached his 25th Test half-century with the drinks break approaching but then fell to a soft dismissal half-hour before lunch, scooping Cornwall (2-114) to Brathwaite at point, after facing 150 balls in two hours and 50 minutes, and counting five fours.
Mehidy then combined with Taijul Islam (18) in a 44-run, eighth wicket partnership, allowing the hosts to reach lunch on 328 for seven.
Unbeaten on 46 at the interval, Mehidy brought up his fifty in the fourth over following the resumption but then lost Taijul nearing the first hour, the left-hander feathering a leg side catch to wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva off fast bowler Shannon Gabriel with Bangladesh on 359.
The frustration continued for West Indies, however, as Mehidy added a further 57 for the ninth wicket with Nayeem, before reaching three figures about 15 minutes before tea.
He cut Warrican to backward point for four to move to 97, collected a couple to cover point off the next ball and then swept behind square for another couple.
Mehidy was last out, taken at long on hitting out against Cornwall on the stroke of the interval, after earlier losing Nayeem playing on to Bonner. Tasked with seeing out a difficult last session, Brathwaite dispensed with his usual tedium in exchange for refreshing enterprise.
He clipped the first ball of the innings to the square leg boundary and followed up with his second scoring shot in the fourth over, coming down to left-arm spinner Shakib and lofting to the long on boundary.
There was no such success for Campbell, however, the left-hander playing down the wrong line to Mustafizur in the next over and perishing lbw.
Moseley endured a nervy first 23 deliveries of his Test career, given out lbw first ball before being reprieved by DRS and then surviving a review for a catch at the wicket also off Mustafizur a few overs later.
The left-hander’s torment ended in the penultimate over before the drinks break, falling plumb lbw to a full length delivery from Mustafizur after surviving a review for lbw the previous ball.
On 24 for two, West Indies took the honours in the final hour as Brathwaite and Bonner combined to deny Bangladesh any further success.
