Bangladesh 164 and 193 for 5 (Shadman 46, Mehidy 42, Shamar 2-70) lead West Indies 146 (Carty 40, Brathwaite 39, Rana 5-61) by 211 runs
Bangladesh’s counter-attack and accurate, fast bowling gave them their best day on this West Indies tour so far. On the third day of the Jamaica Test, the visitors lead by 211 runs after bowling out the hosts for 146 runs. This was only the second time in their history that Bangladesh took a lead in the first innings after being bowled out for less than 200 runs.
They fared much better in their second innings, and third of the game, finishing on 193 for 5, thanks to some hostile bowling from the West Indies fast bowlers. The gardeners also brought some heat with their words. Bangladesh, for the most part, appeared to show restraint. Umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Asif Yaqoob intervened several times to speak to a West Indies fielder or captain, Kraigg Brathwaite.
Rana’s morning outburst that left West Indies limping was a continuation of his performance on the second night. In addition to his pace, his height generated extra rebound on the Sabina Park court. He helped remove Brathwaite with a 142km/h whiff that caught the batsman leaping at the crease. The defense resulted in a crazy low catch to replace Zakir Hasan in the gully.
Rana forced Kavem Hodge into a mistimed shot soon after but Taskin Ahmed failed to take the running catch from fine leg. It did not cost Bangladesh a run, when later in the same over, Litton Das took a magnificent catch to remove Hodge.
Taskin came into action when he bowled Alick Athanaze around the bottom edge. But it was not just the pace that brought down the West Indies. Taijul Islam got one to spin between the bat and pad of Justin Greaves, bowling it for just two. Mehidy Hasan Miraz also got a wicket when he caught Shamar Joseph lbw soon after the lunch break.
Rana and Taskin were enthusiastic and Hasan Mahmud was not far behind. He caught Joshua Da Silva lbw and trapped Keacy Carty behind, down the leg side, in the space of three deliveries.
Rana then made light work of Alzarri Joseph, forcing him back, before fooling him with a slower ball. Alzarri clocked it right up to the middle of the game, where Mehidy made a catch. It ended an excellent morning session for the visitors, who took seven wickets for 65 runs in 25 overs. West Indies lasted three more overs after the lunch break when Rana had Kemar Roach lbw, to complete his five points and give Bangladesh an 18-run lead.
Before Bangladesh’s innings began, umpire Dharmasena could be seen talking to WI captain Brathwaite and also the slip cordon. However, Jayden Seales did not back down and continued to attack the Bangladesh batsmen before gesturing towards the Bangladesh dressing room as he dismissed Mahmudul Hasan Joy for a duck.
However, the chatter of the West Indies bowlers and fielders lost its voice when Shahadat Hossain, promoted to number 3, started chasing the bowling. He missed a couple of lofted shots before beating Alzarri to score the boundary with a square cut.
He curved Shamar through mid-on before Brathwaite dropped him in the 22nd over. Shahadat didn’t back down, however, as he hit Alzarri at mid-on soon after for another boundary.
Shahadat, however, fell while attempting an overshot. Seales caught a catch at mid-on when he missed Alzarri, but Shahadat’s innings of 26 balls and 28 with four fours lifted Bangladesh’s spirits.
This resulted in a burst of boundaries from Shadman Islam and Mehidy, who came to bat at No. 4 in the absence of the ailing Mominul Haque. Mehidy hit Shamar for four boundaries in a row in the next over. He hit two drives in a row before clearing two through the slip cordon. Shadman and Mehidy then hit three shots to get the most boundaries off Seales’ next delivery. Shadman then hit Seales for two more fours, to reach ten boundaries in the space of four overs.
Shadman, however, fell shortly after the tea break, outplaying Shamar in similar fashion for the second time in the game. He made 46 off 82 balls, including seven fours, most of them in that four-over burst. Shadman’s dismissal ended a whirlwind of 70 runs for the third wicket. Mehidy followed Shadman soon after, Shamar choking him on the leg side and surrendering after West Indies successfully reviewed a not out decision. Mehidy hit seven fours in his 39-ball 42.
Litton and Jaker Ali then hit Seales and Shamar for two boundaries each, before Da Silva dropped Litton off Shamar’s bowling. It was a bit of a difficult opportunity due to the leg side, but the goalkeepers take advantage of it regularly. Litton, however, fell for 25, almost against the run of play, when he missed Greaves’ off-cut.
Jaker stood tall and took Bangladesh over the 200-run lead. West Indies captain Brathwaite struggled to rotate his bowlers in Roach’s absence. Greaves replaced but the main players struggled to keep the visitors calm. Bangladesh fought tooth and nail against the West Indian gorillas (of various types) to celebrate a memorable day in Jamaica.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo correspondent in Bangladesh. @isam84
