Seventeen-wicket day puts West Indies on the brink of victory | Sport

NORTH SOUND, Antigua (AP):

BANGLADESH TRAILED West Indies by 224 runs with just three second-innings wickets in hand at stumps on the fourth day of their first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua yesterday.

Set 333 to win, Bangladesh faltered and were 109-7 at stumps on a day when 17 wickets fell, 14 to fast bowlers.

Jaker Ali was 15 not out when poor light halted play for the third consecutive day. He shared a 43-run partnership with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (45) on his way to stumps, briefly raising Bangladesh’s hopes of taking the game well into the final day.

But Mehidy was out four overs from the end and with his departure the tourists’ brave fourth-day comeback was finally snuffed out.

Kemar Roach led the way for West Indies with 3-20 and Jayden Seales took 3-31.

Roach dismissed Zakir Hasan (0), Shahadat Hossain (4) and Mominul Haque (11) to leave the Bangladesh innings in tatters at 23-4.

Mehidy revived the innings in partnerships of 36 with Litton Das (22) and 43 with Jaker. Seales struck to remove Mehidy and Taijul Islam close to stumps to leave West Indies all set for victory.

Earlier, the West Indies had to stifle a determined comeback from Bangladesh, who surprisingly declared on their 269-9 overnight, conceding a first-innings lead of 181 runs.

Taskin Ahmed then took his first five-wicket haul in Tests as West Indies were bowled out for 152 in just over 46 overs.

The right-armer, playing in his 16th Test, took a career-best 6-64 as Bangladesh kept West Indies below 350.

Taskin showed the value of bowling line and length on a fourth-day pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium when he ran through the West Indies line-up in the second session.

The West Indies went to lunch on 61-3, in a strong position to make their aggregate lead formidable.

Taskin dismissed Mikyle Louis (8) and Keacy Carty (3) in the first session, then came into his own by taking four more wickets as the West Indies were bowled out only at tea.

“It’s very special for me, my first five-wicket haul in Test cricket,” Taskin said. “I’ve had a couple of opportunities, but I didn’t make the five before.

“In the first innings I thought I bowled okay but I learned from the first innings what lengths and lines are good here and I tried to bowl consistently.”

Taskin’s massive effort was wasted when Bangladesh lost Zakir Hasan (0) to the fifth ball of their second innings and Mahmadul Hasan Joy (6) three overs later.

Roach also bowled demanding line and length to remove Shahadat and Mominul, leaving Bangladesh four down in just the 13th over.

The 17 wickets that fell yesterday was a record for a single day in a Test match in Antigua.