West Indies down Bangladesh by eight wickets to take series lead

MIRPUR (Agencies): West Indies extended their encouraging run in red-ball cricket with an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first Test in Mirpur on ​Saturday, chasing down 170 on the fourth day to take ‌a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Brandon King struck an unbeaten 81 and anchored the chase, sharing a key partnership with Kavem Hodge, who made 31 not out, ​as the visitors reached their target in 35.1 overs. The win capped ​a strong all-round performance from the Roston Chase-led side, who ⁠overcame a first-innings deficit after Bangladesh posted 272, thanks largely to opener ​Shadman Islam’s century. Trailing by 27 runs after being bowled out for 245 ​in their first innings, West Indies fought back through their spinners to seize control of the match and leave themselves a modest target. Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican laid the foundation ​for the victory, claiming five wickets in the first innings before returning ​with four more in the second.

Chase also starred with the ball, taking five wickets ‌in ⁠the second innings as Bangladesh were dismissed for 142, setting up a manageable chase for the visitors. Warrican was named player of the match for his display. “We came here with a goal to win these two test matches ​to go up in ​the rankings,” West ⁠Indies captain Chase said. “Even though we didn’t have a good start in the first innings, we were still ​determined to come and fight back and try to ​win the ⁠game. “I just really want to commend the guys for the fight that we showed.” The result continued a positive period for West Indies, who recently pushed India ⁠in ​a one-day series and shared a 2-2 draw ​in a T20 series against the world champions earlier this month. The second Test begins in ​Sylhet on Thursday.

Brief scores:

West Indies 245 (Chanderpaul 56, Campbell 54, Hasan 4-33) and 170 for 2 (King 81*, Campbell 49, Hodge 31*) beat Bangladesh 272 (Islam 105, Warrican 5-53) and 142 (Hasan 52, Chase 5-36, Warrican 4-63) by eight wickets.