Chase, King propel West Indies to victory

DHAKA, Bangladesh:

Roston Chase’s five-wicket haul and Brandon King’s unbeaten half-century paved the way for West Indies to romp to a commanding eight-wicket win over Bangladesh on the penultimate day of the opening Test yesterday.

Chase, along with Player-of-the-Match Jomel Warrican, captured the last four Bangladesh wickets to fall as the home side, resuming on their overnight total of 79 for six, were bundled out for 142 in the morning session.

Set 170 runs for victory, King and John Campbell gave the visitors a perfect start by sharing an opening partnership of 112 runs that all but sealed the result, as the Windies strolled to 170 for two in 35.1 overs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Unassailable lead

The result not only gave the West Indies an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series, but it also ensured that, for the first time since 1994, they will end the year having not lost a Test series.

Bangladesh needed a heroic performance by their lower order to give themselves any chance of posting a defendable total.

However, left-arm spinner Warrican struck in the day’s first over when he had Jaker Ali caught by Chase at slip after adding just four runs to his overnight score of 18.

Things could have been worse for Bangladesh, had Warrican managed to hold on to a return catch to dismiss new batter Hasun Mahmud when he was just on one, but the ball spilled out of his grasp as he dived to his right.

All-rounder Nayeem Hasan, who also began the day on 18, was the home side’s lone bright spark in the innings.

He added 26 runs with Mahmud for the eighth wicket before Warrican made amends by trapping Mahmud lbw for nine to leave the score 110 for eight.

Wrapped up innings

Chase then had Taijul Islam adjudged lbw shortly after, and he wrapped up the innings and his ‘five for’ by having Hasan caught at long on for a fighting 52 off 91 balls.

Chase ended with 5-36, while Warrican, who took 4-63, finished with match figures of 9-116.

Faced with a potentially tricky chase on a pitch offering turn and bounce to the spinners, West Indies’ opening pair of King and Campbell put on a show.

Cautious start

After a cautious start, which saw Campbell survive two close lbw appeals against spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the first over, they batted with relative ease.

Campbell hit Miraz for a six and a four in the ninth over and followed it up by hitting Taijul Islam to the boundary.

They carried the score to 63 without loss before bad light halted play for just over 30 minutes.

Once play resumed, so did Campbell’s stroke play, with the left-hander driving Taijul Islam through cover for two more boundaries.

Lightning

With the score on 87, there was a brief interruption because of lightning, with a decision made to take an early tea break.

King, who was lucky to have been dropped at slip by skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto when he was on 44, reached his fifth Test half-century after the resumption by driving pacer Shoriful Islam for three consecutive boundaries.

Campbell was within one run of scoring his second half-century of the match before he inside-edged a delivery from the same bowler onto his stumps to be bowled for 49 off 55 balls.

Mahmud then had Tagenarine Chanderpaul caught for just one, but King and Kavem Hodge, who scored an unbeaten 31 off 27 balls, carried them to victory with a day to spare.

CMC