BANGLADESH CRUSH WEST INDIES
OFFSPINNER Mehidy Hasan finished with a match haul of 12/117, the best figures by a Bangladeshi bowler, to spin his side to an innings and 184 runs victory against West Indies in the second Test yesterday.
It marked the first time Bangladesh have won a Test by an innings margin against any opposition in their 112-Test history, a win that completed a sweep of the two-match series following its 64-run victory in the first Test.
“To be honest I demanded a lot in this series,” said Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan. “I kept asking more from my teammates. I am happy that they responded quite well.”
Bangladesh compiled 508 in their first innings, thanks to a career-best 136 from Mahmudullah and three half-centuries from skipper Shakib (80), opener Shadman Islam (76) and Liton Das (54) after which the spinners took the charge.
Mehidy recorded his career-best bowling figures in an innings, claiming 7/58 to skittle West Indies for 111 in their first innings after the tourists resumed on day three on 75/5.
With a 397-run lead, Shakib had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on.
“Even against a small team we couldn’t do that whereas we played 100 plus Test matches. For the first time we could enforce follow-on against any team, that too against a team who is ahead of us in rankings. So it’s a big achievement,” Shakib said.
It proved to be right decision as Bangladesh’s spin quartet – offspinners Mehidy Hasan and Nayeem Hasan and left-arm spinners Taijul Islam and Shakib – continued exposing West Indies’ vulnerability against spin on a pitch that offered turn and variable bounce.
The tourists were dismissed for 213 in the second innings.
“Mentally we probably weren’t there,” West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite said. “We had a lot of spin sessions. But we probably weren’t 100 percent. Test cricket is never easy. You can’t blame fielding. It is tough, but we have to get better.”
Skipper Shakib made the breakthrough yet again in the first over, dismissing Brathwaite (one) leg before wicket.
“To be honest, spin is spin. I think the pitches here were a little drier.
“We didn’t carry out the carry shots at the right time. We just didn’t get anything together with the bat,” he said.
Fresh from his career-best first innings, Mehidy Hasan (5/59) had Keiran Powell (six) stumped to keep Bangladesh on track to sweep the series.
Left-arm spinner Islam (3/40) then struck twice in consecutive overs to dismiss Sunil Ambris (four) and Roston Chase (three), with the tourists on 29/4.
Shai Hope (25) and Shimron Hetmyer resisted with a 56-run stand before Mehidy had Hope caught by Shakib at short midwicket.
Hetmyer did manage to smash nine sixes and one four in a show of clean hitting in his career best 92-ball 93 before one mishit against the bowling of Mehidy cost him his wicket.
| AP