West Indies Set Bangladesh 369

West Indies declare on 398/6, challenging Bangladesh to chase 369.

West Indies Declare

SYLHET: The West Indies declared their second innings on the final day of the second Test. They set Bangladesh a target of 369 after declaring their second innings on 398/6.

The hosts have started slowly, scoring just 33 runs without loss in the first eight overs. They now need to score 336 runs in 78 overs. But due to the light fading quickly, play finished before 4:30 PM on previous days.

Background

The declaration came off a strong start on Day 4.

• Opening Partnership: Brandon King and Joshua Da Silva put on an impressive 85 runs for the first wicket. King scored fluently for 61 runs off 84 balls.
• Match Winning Partnership: Kavem Hodge and Kevin Wickham (debutant) formed a match-winning partnership of 165 runs for the third wicket.
• Wickham’s debut: Kevin Wickham scored an impressive 78 runs to become the first West Indies batter in 48 years to score half-centuries in both innings on his Test debut.

Day 5 Morning: Aggression Over Caution

West Indies only batted for 10 overs on the last day of play, scoring 53 runs. They wanted to give their bowlers enough time to take 10 wickets.

• Kavem Hodge, who was on 140 at the start of play, fell in the 2nd over. He was deceived by a sweep shot from Nayeem Hasan to Hasan Mahmud at fine leg. He was out for 142 from 194 balls (17 fours and 1 six). This was his 3rd Test century.
• Justin Greaves was lbw to Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 9.
• Shamar Joseph was promoted to accelerate the scoring but mistimed a pull shot to Nayeem Hasan and fell for 1 from 3 balls.
• Joshua Bishop then hit 2 huge sixes from Mehidy Hasan Miraz. He ended the innings on 20 not out from 11 balls. Head coach Daren Sammy had told the batters it would be declared in the next 2 overs.
• Amir Jangoo remained not out on 39 from 74 balls.

Key Stats at a Glance

Key Takeaways

• Smart risk-taking. By declaring at 398, Bangladesh have set a realistic but challenging target for the West Indies. They will have to chase well over 4.7 runs per over if they are to win, and that should tempt the home side to take risks.
• Light. If the game ends early over the next four days, then it will reduce the amount of play. This would help the West Indies, who need to get wickets quickly, and Bangladesh, who want to survive.
• Spin. The West Indies are chasing and have lost wickets to Nayeem Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the morning. They, however, will also benefit from the Day 5 pitch. The Bangladeshi openers need to be patient.
• Bangladesh need to be balanced. They will need to score steadily, and if they lose wickets early, they could lose.

What’s next?

Bangladesh will need to score 336 to win with all 10 wickets intact. The openers will need to start well, and the West Indian bowlers will need to get early wickets. The game could go either way, with Bangladesh winning, West Indies winning, or it could be a draw. It looks like a tight end to the game.

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