West Indies 250 for 5 (Louis 97, Athanaze 90, Taskin 2-46) vs. Bangladesh
After the Louis-Athanaze pair fell to the spinners, Justin Greaves and Joshua Da Silva scored freely against the second new ball towards the end of the day. The game was suspended after 84 overs when a drizzle started, while the light was also not very good.
Bangladesh’s fast bowling trio of Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam and Taskin challenged the West Indies early in the day but Louis held firm. Hasan continued to hit him outside off stump. Shoriful tested him around the stump with the delivery always threatening to take shape. Taskin used the swing seam, at times bowled the odd yorker and pressured Louis to fish outside off stump.
Shoriful, who got more swing from Sir Curtly Ambrose’s side than from Andy Roberts’ side, was playing his first Test since mid-August. He missed the previous five Tests but seemed in tune with the red ball. He endangered Kraigg Brathwaite, who tried to attack even though runs were not flowing from his bat. Meanwhile, Louis waited for the short ball, which gave him two fours with the pull shot.
Taskin then removed Brathwaite, catching him lbw with a hint of inward movement that hit his bat. Taskin then caught Keacy Carty at mid-on when he couldn’t hold down his whip on the wrist, which ended in a tame dismissal. Brathwaite made four runs off 38 balls, while Carty finished with an eight-ball duck.
Louis then found Kavem Hodge a little more forthcoming as they tried to piece together the innings. The pair hit four boundaries before the lunch break but then consolidated in the second session.
Louis raised his fifty when he punched Taskin on the ground for a boundary. Hodge then slapped Taskin with a square cut, but he didn’t last much longer. Going for a second run off Mehidy’s bowling, Hodge was run out for 25 after Taijul’s shot from long leg left him well short despite a dive.
Athanaze made efforts to boost the run rate but was met with continued discipline from Bangladesh. In the afternoon, it was spinners Mehidy and Taijul who kept things in order. Athanze ducked a couple of balls that fell slightly out of the fielder’s reach. One of them, a top edge towards mid-on, could have turned into a trap if Taskin had moved a little quicker from mid-on. Athanaze hit Mehidy with a sweep for four but failed to connect with his several reverse sweeps in the second session. Louis, who lifted Taskin for a four over the bowler’s head towards the end of the second session, remained largely calm in his approach.
Athanaze took the lead in increasing West Indies’ scoring rate after tea. He began the final session with two square boundaries, before finally hitting a four with a reverse sweep, off Mehidy.
Louis then lifted Mehidy for the first six of the day, taking him to the eighty. Mehidy then dropped Louis as he reached 90. Louis took Mahmud for his ninth boundary as he closed in on his first century, while Athanaze also opened up at the other end.
He swept Taijul before hitting Taskin for four consecutive ones in the 71st over, cutting and parrying. Athanaze then swept Taijul for his first six, and then came another reverse sweep boundary.
Against the run of play, Mehidy removed Louis, charging at him, caught at slip where Shahadat Hossain took a good catch. Three overs later, Taijul trapped Athanaze behind. In the space of four runs, both batsmen were gone, allowing a small opening on the second day.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo correspondent in Bangladesh. @isam84
