West Indies defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets in the opening of the two-match Test series. A dominant batting display from John Campbell and Brandon King proved enough as West Indies chased 170 runs with ease in the fourth innings at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka.
Notably, Bangladesh’s poor show with the bat in the second innings proved costly. They lost wickets in quick succession as the hosts were 53/6 at one stage. They resumed Day 4 at 79/6, needing a substantial contribution from their lower order to put West Indies under pressure. Nayeem Hasan offered some resistance with a half-century, scoring 52, but the visitors struggled to negotiate the West Indian spin attack on a slow surface.
On Day 4, Jomel Warrican provided an early breakthrough by removing Jaker Ali, who edged the delivery towards Roston Chase at slip. Chase then continued his impressive outing with the ball, finishing with figures of 5/36. The performance marked his fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket as Bangladesh were dismissed for 142.
King led from the front
With a target of 170 to secure victory, West Indies approached their chase with an attacking mindset despite the assistance available to the opposition spinners. Bangladesh turned to Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam to open the bowling, hoping to exploit the conditions. However, Campbell and King countered their efforts with positive strokeplay, quickly putting the required total within reach.
The opening partnership gathered momentum despite interruptions caused by rain. Campbell was given a reprieve when Najmul Hossain Shanto dropped him in the 19th over. Shanto subsequently left the field after sustaining an injury to his thumb.
Campbell eventually departed for 49 after Shoriful Islam breached his defence. However, the opening stand of 112 runs had already ruined Bangladesh’s chances. However, Tagenarine Chanderpaul also fell shortly afterwards, briefly giving Bangladesh an opportunity to fight back.
King, however, remained unbeaten on 81, with Kavem Hodge providing support at the other end. The pair ensured there were no further setbacks as West Indies crossed the finish line with eight wickets remaining.
The teams will now travel to Sylhet for the second and final Test, scheduled to begin on November 5, with Bangladesh needing a victory to level the series.
Meanwhile, the result also brought a change in the World Test Championship standings. Bangladesh have now dropped to fifth, with India climbing up to fourth. The points percentage of the Bangla Tigers now stands at 47.62, while India have 51.52.