King's career-best 81 powers Windies to crushing Mirpur victory
Key Points(5)
- Brandon King produced the defining innings of his Test career, remaining unbeaten on a superb 81 as West Indies overwhelmed Bangladesh by eight wickets in the opening Test in Mirpur on Saturday to seize a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
- The Jamaican opener anchored a comfortable pursuit of 170, guiding the visitors to 172-2 in just 35.1 overs on the fourth day after Bangladesh's second innings collapsed for 142.
- King's career-best effort, which included 10 fours and a six from 115 deliveries, completed an impressive West Indies recovery after the hosts had threatened to take control of the contest earlier in the match.
- The victory was built on outstanding contributions from the bowling attack, particularly Jomel Warrican and captain Roston Chase, who shared nine wickets in Bangladesh's second innings.
- Warrican and Chase dismantle Bangladesh Warrican was again the chief tormentor of the Bangladesh batting lineup, claiming 4-63 to finish with nine wickets in the match following his five-wicket haul in the first innings.
Brandon King produced the defining innings of his Test career, remaining unbeaten on a superb 81 as West Indies overwhelmed Bangladesh by eight wickets in the opening Test in Mirpur on Saturday to seize a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
The Jamaican opener anchored a comfortable pursuit of 170, guiding the visitors to 172-2 in just 35.1 overs on the fourth day after Bangladesh's second innings collapsed for 142.
King's career-best effort, which included 10 fours and a six from 115 deliveries, completed an impressive West Indies recovery after the hosts had threatened to take control of the contest earlier in the match.
The victory was built on outstanding contributions from the bowling attack, particularly Jomel Warrican and captain Roston Chase, who shared nine wickets in Bangladesh's second innings.
Warrican and Chase dismantle Bangladesh
Warrican was again the chief tormentor of the Bangladesh batting lineup, claiming 4-63 to finish with nine wickets in the match following his five-wicket haul in the first innings. His efforts earned him the Player of the Match award.
Chase was equally influential, producing 5-36 for his fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket as Bangladesh's resistance unravelled.
The hosts had resumed Saturday at 79-6, with an overall lead of 106, but their hopes of establishing a more demanding target quickly suffered another setback.
Jaker Ali, who made 22 from 34 deliveries, edged Warrican to slip, where Chase completed the catch to leave Bangladesh further exposed.
Nayeem Hasan briefly threatened to frustrate the visitors, surviving two dropped chances off Chase on 21 and 29.
He found some support from Hasan Mahmud, with the pair adding 26 runs before Warrican trapped Mahmud leg before wicket for eight.
Taijul Islam contributed eight in a further 17-run partnership with Nayeem, but Chase ended that stand to leave Bangladesh struggling at 127-9.
Nayeem's maiden half-century offers brief resistance
Despite the mounting pressure, Nayeem continued to fight and reached his maiden Test half-century from 87 deliveries, striking four boundaries.
However, his resistance finally ended when he attempted to clear long-on against Chase, only to find Joshua Bishop, who completed the catch.
Nayeem departed for a determined 52 from 91 balls, while Shoriful Islam remained unbeaten on seven as Bangladesh were dismissed in 48.4 overs.
Reflecting on the victory, Chase praised his players for maintaining their determination after losing the advantage earlier in the contest.
"The guys were determined, even though we didn't have a good start in the first innings," Chase said.
"We lost the lead, but we were still determined to fight back and try to win the game, and that's what we did."
The West Indies captain also made clear that the team's ambitions extend beyond the opening victory, with the visitors targeting a series triumph and an improvement in the Test rankings.
King and Campbell put Bangladesh under pressure
West Indies approached the target aggressively, with King and fellow opener John Campbell immediately putting the Bangladesh bowlers under pressure.
The pair raced to 64 without loss in 14.1 overs before rain interrupted their progress.
Following a delay of approximately an hour, the openers added another 23 runs, taking the total to 87 without loss before bad light and lightning forced a further stoppage of 45 minutes.
King received a significant reprieve after play resumed when substitute fielder Ebadot Hossain dropped him on 70 off the bowling of Taijul.
The Jamaican made Bangladesh pay for the missed opportunity, continuing his assured innings to take West Indies within touching distance of victory.
Campbell, meanwhile, narrowly missed out on a half-century. He was bowled by Shoriful Islam for 49 from 55 deliveries, having struck six fours and a six.
King remained unbeaten to complete the chase in commanding fashion, giving West Indies a valuable opening victory in their pursuit of a series sweep.
Shanto admits Bangladesh fell short
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto acknowledged that his team had failed to deliver across the three departments of the game, singling out their fielding for particular criticism.
"All three departments didn't do well, especially in the field. These things can happen sometimes, but I believe the intention and preparation were quite good," he said.
"Going forward, we need to look at those areas and work out how we can do better in these conditions."
With the opening contest settled, attention now turns to Sylhet, where the second and final Test begins on November 5.
West Indies will arrive with confidence and the opportunity to secure a series victory, while Bangladesh must find answers quickly if they are to prevent the visitors from completing a clean sweep.
