Bangladesh 264 (Shadman 64, Seales 4-5, Shamar 3-49) and 268 (Jaker 91, Shadman 46, Mehidy 42, Roach 3-36) beat West Indies 146 (Carty 40, Brathwaite 39, Rana 5-61, Mahmud 2-19) and 185 (Hodge 55, Brathwaite 43, Taijul 5-50, Mahmud 2-20) by 101 runs
Rana took his maiden Test five-wicket haul in the second innings, helping West Indies to bowl out 146.
Bangladesh had scored only 164 in their first innings, but their comeback in the second innings was also remarkable. That was thanks to Jaker, who hit five sixes and eight fours in a counter-attacking 91. Jaker scored 62 of Bangladesh’s 75 runs in the morning session on the fourth day.
On the fourth morning, Jaker held the key for Bangladesh to increase their lead to 211. It didn’t start well for him, as Alzarri Joseph hit him on the top of his helmet. Bangladeshi physio Bayezid Islam Khan took some time to clear Jaker, with the BCB suspicious of his history of concussions.
The situation worsened when Bangladesh lost consecutive wickets.
Taijul edged a short ball on 14, after he and Jaker added 34 runs for the sixth wicket. Mominul Haque completed his second Test pair when he fell on his fourth ball. He looked visibly ill as he walked away, with Bangladesh’s tail now exposed.
With his back against the wall, Jaker attacked the West Indies attack. He hooked Kemar Roach to wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva for a boundary. Jaker then timed a pull shot at Alzarri for his first six, which took him to his third consecutive fifty in his first three Tests. He is only the second Bangladeshi player to achieve this feat after Zakir Hasan.
Jaker went for the next two balls. He flayed a short ball to get a four off the slips, then followed it with a hooked six. Jaker smashed Roach over long-off in the next over, but he hit back with two more wickets. Roach removed Mahmud and Taskin in consecutive overs.
Jaker, however, still had a limit push in him. He smashed Shamar Joseph for two fours in one, both shots pulled, before bowling Roach for his fourth six, straight down the ground. His fifth six was off Shamar, nodded at midwicket, before falling in the deep later in the match.
Taijul got to work in the fifth when he tangled Mikyle Louis. Attempting to drive the ball, Louis placed the ball on his front foot, with Shahadat Hossain claiming a dive on front short leg.
Feeling the need to seize the momentum, Brathwaite attacked Bangladesh’s bowling. He had already drawn a boundary with a square cut, but after the lunch break he drove Mahmud through the covers. He bowled Taijul over long-off for a six, but Keacy Carty failed to keep the bowlers away at the other end.
Taskin had Carty caught for 14, after a pile-up of dot balls, before Taijul accounted for Brathwaite’s bulk. He troubled the West Indies captain on several occasions, before spinning one and jumping onto the shoulder of Brathwaite’s bat. Mahmudul Hasan Joy ran to his right after sliding to make a rushing catch. Taijul then called for one to throw at a difficult area and return through Alick Athanaze’s huge gap between bat and pad. Athanaze, who went for a long drive, looked confused about his approach during his six-ball stay.
All the while, Hodge kept his form, looking sharp as he returned to regular boundaries. He slapped Rana and cut Taskin in consecutive overs. He hit Mehidy for two fours in an over, before bowling to Taijul before tea.
West Indies started the third session on a happy note. Hodge reached his fifty on the first ball after the break, but he also fell soon after. Hodge replayed a delivery from Taijul which stayed very low, trapping him in weight. Keshav Maharaj and Shoaib Bashir also brought him out in the same manner before.
Taskin then cleaned up Justin Greaves with a shot that also stayed a little low, but the batter made no effort to get low enough to meet the ball. Joshua Da Silva’s miserable series ended when Taijul had him in weight, yet another West Indies batter falling in weight on a ball they could have played off the front foot.
When Mehidy brought on Mahmud for a second spell, he made an instant impact. He dismissed Alzarri and Roach to put Bangladesh on the brink. Then came the big moment when Rana, who changed the momentum of the match with his opening five-over, removed Shamar with a yorker to seal the hard-fought victory.