DHAKA, Bangladesh, Oct 30, CMC – Captain Roston Chase and Jomel Warrican spun a web around Bangladesh’s batters to help West Indies rebound from a poor batting display and take control of the opening Test at the end of the third’s day play here on Friday.
Chase and first innings hero Warrican shared five wickets between them as Bangladesh, armed with a slender 27-run first innings lead, ended the day precariously placed at 79 for six in their second innings at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.
It left them with an overall lead of just 106 runs, with their entire top order back in the pavilion and facing an uphill task of posting a formidable total for the visitors to chase.
The West Indies would have been relieved to end the day on top after a familiar batting collapse cut short their hopes of establishing a handy first innings lead.
Resuming the day on 134 for four, Tagenarine Chanderpaul deservedly got the seven runs required for his third Test half century when he turned a delivery from left-arm spinner Taijul Islam to midwicket for a quick single off the 164th ball he faced.
Together with overnight batter Justin Greaves, they extended their partnership to 65 before pacer Shoriful Islam had Chanderpaul caught at slip for 56 off 184 balls, as he drove loosely at a full delivery to make the score 162 for five.
Greaves and Chase then added 51 runs for the sixth wicket and looked set to take the Windies to lunch in a comfortable position until Naeem Hasan trapped the former lbw with the last ball of the morning session for a well-played 46.
The West Indies’ batting then unraveled after the lunch break, as they lost their last four wickets for 11 runs.
Hasan was the main architect of that collapse, claiming the wickets of Shamar Joseph for four and Jomel Warrican and Jayden Seales for ducks to see them lose three wickets without scoring.
Chase, who was dropped on 27, was left unbeaten on 43 off 60 balls.
Hasan finished with 4-33, while fellow spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz took 2-65 and Taijul Islam 2-76.
Bangladesh didn’t get off to the best of starts, with pacer Shamar Joseph having Tanzid Hasan caught by Chase at gully for a duck.
First innings centurion Shadman Islam and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto temporarily halted the slide of wickets during a 27-run stand for the second wicket, but once Chase bowled Islam through the gates with the first ball of his third over the floodgates opened.
Two balls later, the off spinner had Towhid Hridoy caught at mid on for a duck as he attempted a big heave through the onside to reduce Bangladesh to 28 for three.
And in his next over Chase had Shanto lbw for 10 after he missed a straight delivery as the home side found themselves in more trouble at 33 for four.
The heavens opened up shortly after, forcing the players off the field and leading to an early tea imterval.
On resumption, Warrican trapped Litton Das lbw for four and he also bowled Miraz for nine, to leave Bangladesh 53 for six and facing the possibility of being bowled out.
But Jaker Ali, a concussion substitute for Mominul Haque, along with Hasan, added 24 valuable runs in their unbroken stand before bad light ended play early, with both batters finishing the day unbeaten on 18.
Chase has so far taken 3-25 and Warrican 2-19.
CMC rb/26