Tigers strike twice after setting WI 277 to win

KINGSTON: Bangladesh set West Indies 277 to win, and pressed their claims for a rare Test victory, when they restricted the hosts to 66 for two in their second innings at lunch in their opening Test on Monday.

At the interval, Travis Dowlin was not out 17 and West Indies captain Floyd Reifer was not out on 18, after Bangladesh were dismissed for 345 in their second innings about an hour and five minutes into the fifth and final day of the Test at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex.

Bangladesh enhanced the chances of their second Test victory ever, when they

removed West Indies

openers Dale Richards and Omar Phillips cheaply before the interval. The visitors’ lower order had been undermined by Darren Sammy — in particular — who finished with five wickets for 70 runs from 30.1 overs, and Kemar Roach, who ended with three for 67 from 26 overs.

Bangladesh then got a breakthrough quite fortuitously, when Raqibul Hasan ran Richards out for 14 with a direct hit from gully after umpire Asoka de Silva turned down an lbw appeal from Shahadat Hossain and the batsman absentmindedly sauntered out of his crease.

There was further success for Bangladesh, when Shakib Al Hasan had left-hander Phillips lbw for 14 to leave West Indies 33 for two, but they could not make any further headway, as Reifer joined Travis Dowlin, and batted the remainder of the session to double the West Indies’ total.

Earlier, Bangladesh lost wickets regularly chasing quick runs to boost the target they were trying to set West Indies. After they continued from their overnight total of 321 for five, only Mushfiqur Rahim with 37 and Shakib with 30 made showed any prolonged resistance, as Sammy and Roach expended little energy in flattening the remainder of the Tigers’ batting.

Bangladesh play two Tests, three One-dayers, and a Twenty20 International on their five-week tour.