The West Indies registered a resounding 201-run victory over Bangladesh in the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Tuesday, November 26. The match concluded prematurely when Bangladesh's tailender, Shoriful Islam, was forced to retire hurt due to an injury.
West Indies thrash Bangladesh in first Test
West Indies laid the foundation for their victory in the first Test against Bangladesh with a strong first-innings show. A century from Justin Greaves propelled the West Indies to a commanding total of 450/9 declared. In response, Bangladesh could only manage 269/9 declared, handing the hosts with an 181-run lead.
Despite a less impressive second innings, where the West Indies were bowled out for 152 runs, their first-innings lead proved decisive. Taskin Ahmed's career-best bowling figures of 6/64 caused damage to the West Indies batting line-up. However, Alick Athanaze's gritty 42 and contributions from Kraigg Brathwaite, Joshua Da Silva, and Alzarri Joseph helped extend the lead and seal the victory for the West Indies.
Bangladesh faced a daunting task of chasing 334 runs in their second innings. Their start was disastrous, with both openers, Zakir Hasan and Mahmudul Hasan Joy, falling early to Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales, respectively. Roach continued to torment the Bangladeshi batsmen, dismissing Shahadat Hossain with a brilliant inswinger.
The West Indies bowlers maintained the pressure, with Shamarh Brooks dropping a few catches, including two from Mominul Haque in the same over. However, Roach and Seales continued to exploit the conditions, dismissing Mominul Haque and Litton Das, reducing Bangladesh to 59/5.
Bangladesh found themselves in a precarious position by the end of Day 4, trailing by 225 runs with seven wickets down. The relentless bowling of Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales had decimated the Bangladeshi batting line-up, with the duo sharing six wickets between them. Mehidy Hasan Miraz offered some resistance with a gritty 45, but it was not enough to salvage the situation. On the final day, the West Indies quickly wrapped up the remaining three wickets, securing a comprehensive victory. Roach and Seales continued their dominant performance, exposing Bangladesh's fragile batting.
Notably, Bangladesh's defeat against West Indies has pushed them to bottom of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 points table which is ruled by Team India.
Meanwhile, the second Test between Bangladesh and West Indies will start from November 30 in Jamaica.
