West Indies are well on their way to whitewashing Bangladesh in the Dhaka Bank Test series, as they batted them out of the game on day three of the second and final Test yesterday, at the Beausejour Cricket ground in St Lucia.
After amassing 380 all out in their first innings, the West Indies dismissed Bangladesh for 161 yesterday, but did not enforce the follow-on. With a lead off 219 runs, the Caribbean boys finished on 208 for four, for an overall lead off 427 runs with two days left.
Sulieman Benn grabbed two of the three wickets to fall yesterday while Shannon Gabriel got the other.
Kemar Roach did not add to his five wickets of the previous day.
The West Indies innings started ten minutes before lunch with Bangladesh opting to open with the spin bowling off Taijul Islam.
Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Leon Johnson batted positively with Johnson looked particularly sound and timing the ball sweetly. His crisp stroke play interrupted the afternoon nap for many at the ground. Even the usually sedate Brathwaite moved the score along quickly. The Barbadian, who has been in rich form this season, smacked his first six in Test cricket in the process.
Together they posted 76 before an advancing Johnson was yorked by spinner Islam. He scored 41 off just 59 balls with the help off eight fours. Immediately after, Kirk Edwards walked back to the pavilion as well, scoring just two and more than likely cancelling his ticket to India for the upcoming tour.
Darren Bravo also continued his struggles, falling to Mahmudullah for a 29-ball seven. Mahmudullah also removed Brathwaite, who made 45 after batting for 139 minutes and facing 112 balls. He sent three to he fence and one over it.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the youthful Jermaine Blackwood were left to take the West Indies out of spot of bother at 100 for four and they did just that. They added an unbroken 108 runs for the fifth wicket.
Chanderpaul, coming into this innings with an unbelievable average off 582.00 against Bangladesh over the last two series, continued to punish them. He scored 59 not out, 203 not out, 1, 150 not out, 85 not out, 84 not out and yesterday got 62 not out. The lone occasion he was dismissed he batted an number 11 because he was not well and made one.
Blackwood and Chanderpaul weathered the spin and was able to milk runs during the final session. Chanderpaul brought up his 66th Test fifty in 109 minutes, off 84 balls with three fours. He batted the best he has this series and Blackwood was able to feed off him.
One straight drive in particular off Robiul Islam was special and the bowler must have thought that the slight earth tremor felt at the same time, was as a result of that shot.
When the balls were flicked by the umpires, Blackwood was unbeaten on 43 off 96 balls with one four and a six.
Earlier, Bangladesh resumed on 104 for seven and Mahmudullah was able to take them close to the follow-on mark off 181. They folded for 161 but more importantly they ate away nearly two hours with stubborn batting. Mahmudullah stroked the ball well, middling almost everything and scored a half century before he was sent back by Sulieman Benn.
The tall Barbadian had him caught by wicketkeeper Ramdin–his fifth catch off the innings for 53. He batted for 161 minutes, faced 100 balls and struck two fours and a six. Benn finished with 2/19, while Roach took 5/42.
SCOREBOARD
WI vs Bangladesh
WI inns 1st inns 380
Bangladesh 1st inns.
(overnight 104/7)
T Iqbal c Ramdin b Roach 48
S Rahman c Ramdin b Roach 1
A Haque c Bravo b Roach 9
M Haque c Blackwood b Taylor 3
M Rahim b Taylor 4
Mahmudullah c Ramdin b Benn 53
N Hossain c Ramdin b Roach 1
T Islam c Gabriel b Roach 12
S Islam c Ramdin b Gabriel 10
R Islam lbw Benn 0
A Hossain not out 7
Extras lb10, w1, nb2 13
Total all out 161
Fall of wkts: 14, 43, 62, 65, 68, 69, 89, 134, 154, 161.
Bowling: J Taylor 19-5-41-2 (2nb), K Roach 20-5-42-5, S Gabriel 15-1-49-1 (1w), S Benn 8.2-2-19-2.
WI 2nd inns
K Brathwaite c S Rahman
b Mahmudullah 45
L Johnson c T Islam 41
K Edwards c S Rahman
b S Islam 2
D Bravo b Mahmudullah 7
S Chanderpaul not out 62
J Blackwood not out 43
Extras (lb5, w2) 7
Total for 4 wkts 208
Fall of wkts: 76, 81, 97, 100.
Bowling: T Islam 27-5-76-1, Al Amin Hossain 4-0-18-0, R Islam 11-3-34-0 (2w), S Islam 10-1-21-1, Mahmudullah 11-2-37-2, M Haque 4-0-17-0.