After yet another poor batting display, Bangladesh are on verge of another Test defeat in the West Indies.
At the end of the rain-hit third day of the second Test of the two-match series in St Lucia, Bangladesh were struggling at 132 for six. The visitors still need 42 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
Khaled Ahmed bagged his maiden five-for in the first innings of the West Indies who posted 408 and secured a big lead of 176 runs. Khaled ended up taking five for 106— his best in Tests so far.
And along the way, Khaled became the first Bangladeshi pacer to register a five-wicket haul in a Test in the West Indies. He surpassed Mushfiqur Rahman, who had taken 4 for 65 at the same venue in 2004, in the record of best bowling by a Bangladeshi pacer in the West Indies in a Test innings.
Bangladesh lost three wickets just for 32 runs in 10 overs. Tamim Iqbal, the main opener of Bangladesh, fell victim to Kemar Roach. With Tamim’s dismissal, Roach completed 250 wickets in Test.
He later removed Mahmudul Hasan Joy and comeback-man Anamul Haque Bijoy and moved to 252.
All of Najmul Hossain Shanto (42), Liton Das (19) and Shakib Al Hasan (16) have managed a good start each but failed to continue on that— the familiar batting foe of Bangladesh.
To win this Test, West Indies will have to take only four more wickets before Bangladesh scores another 42 runs.
On the other hand, the task of avoiding a big defeat in this Test is more than tough for Bangladesh who also lost the first Test in Antigua by seven wickets.
In the first innings of this Test, Bangladesh scored only 234 runs with a fifty from Liton. That poor display eventually put Bangladesh in a position that they were unable to recover from.
After the Test series, both the teams will take on each other in a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series.
