Tigers seize first Test win in West Indies since 2009

Grit, ambition and skill came through for the Tigers in one of their finest days in Test cricket as they won their first Test in the West Indies in 15 years since 2009. Taijul Islam was the star of the show with his 15th Test fifer and in a fitting end, Nahid Rana scalped the final wicket of the day to bowl West Indies out for 185 to give Tigers a 101-run win in Jamaica on an enchanting day of Test cricket.

It was a dream Test win which sees Bangladesh end the series 1-1, winning their third away Test this year after the feats at Rawalpindi.

From Nahid Rana’s fiery spells of fast bowling in the first innings that saw Windies bowled out for 146, to battling knocks from Shadman Islam and Mehedi Miraz on day three of the second innings, Tigers fought toe to toe with West Indies over the first three days. An attacking approach in the second innings with the bat, expanded by Jaker Ali’s immense 91-run knock, saw Bangladesh gaining further grounds. Taijul Islam’s fifer in the second innings on day four, ensured Tigers clinched the win in four days.

Bangladesh had managed 268 all out in their second innings, adding a vital 75 runs to their overnight score of 193 for 5 to set Windies a target of 287 runs.

Taijul, who bagged three wickets in the first two sessions including the all-important wicket of Windies skipper Kraig Brathwaite, was quickly on his mark early in the third session as he removed set batter Kavem Hodge, out leg-before for 55. Hodge looking pretty comfortable, stayed back on the crease and caught in-front of the stumps to a straighter delivery after a fighting knock. It ended the 37-run stand between Hodge and Justin Greaves.

Nahid Rana bowled without much reward as he found Greaves’s outside edge but the ball flew through the vacant third-slip. But Taskin Ahmed did not take long to remove the right-hander after scoring 20 as a delivery kept low and rattled the off stump to give Taskin his second.

Taijul bagged his fifer when Joshua De Silva was trapped in front of the stumps in a similar manner to Hodge to leave Windies reeling at 164 for 7. Taijul, who kept the Windies batters under pressure with turn and bounce finished with five for 50, playing a pivotal hand in the victory.

Alzarri Joseph had given the Bangladesh batters an earful throughout the second Test and Hasan Mahmud found the satisfaction of seeing the right-hander’s off stump disturbed, out for five off a wild swipe that did not connect. Hasan would pick off Kemar Roach with a length delivery that tailed in to catch Roach in front of the stumps in the same over to leave Tigers on the brink of victory.

Taijul’s fifer saw him bag the player-of-the-match award while Taskin Ahmed, who bagged a six-fer in the first Test in Antigua, finished with 11 wickets in the series and shared the player-of-the-series award with Jayden Seales who scalped 10 wickets in the series.

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