Best Roars West Indies To Victory and win

West Indies 527-4d & 273 (Gazi 6-74) beat
Bangladesh 556 & 167 (Best 5-24) by 77 runs

Ultimately it wasn’t to be for Bangladesh as their batting line-up crumbled when faced with a gettable target on the final afternoon in Mirpur. Tino Best tore through their middle order after Sohag Gazi had removed the West Indies lower order to end with the best figures by a Bangladeshi on debut.


Gazi had ensured that West Indies had batted for less than 10 overs in the morning in adding only 29 runs as he ended with six for 74 to go with his first innings haul of three for 145. He deceived all four of the men to fall - including the ill Shivnarine Chanderpaul who walked out at number 11 - with arm balls and beat Manjural Islam’s 11-year-old record for a Bangladeshi debutant.

The real action, however, was still to come. Chasing 245 to win in two and a half sessions, the home side suffered a crucial blow early on when Tamim Iqbal was caught behind off Ravi Rampaul for just five. They also lost Junaid Siddique before lunch and went in at the break on 45 for two needing exactly 200 from the final two sessions.

It was then that Tino Best began his demolition job. The beauty of Test cricket is that, despite it being played over five days, the match can turn in a single session and be won or lost by either side. On this occasion it was very much a case of Best winning the match for the West Indies as he bowled with pace and accuracy - the latter quality having been largely lacking from his first innings performance.

The 31-year-old, having removed Siddique on the stroke of lunch, had Shahriar Nafees beaten for pace on the pull shortly after the resumption and Shakib squared up and caught behind in his next over. He then ended a promising fifth-wicket partnership between Mushfiqur Rahim and Naeem Islam at 30, having Rahim caught on the crease and out leg-before.

Veerasammy Permaul then chipped in by having Naeem trapped in front and Nasir Hossain bowled, as well as debutant Gazi caught by the sub, before Best took over once again to complete his five-wicket haul and end the match.

He removed Bangladesh’s last recognised batsman, Mahmudullah, with 78 still needed and so ended a thrilling Test match in a blaze of fist-pumping celebration.

West Indies had won, taking Bangladesh’s losing record to 64 out of its 74 Tests, but at least on this occasion they had taken it to the final session and come close to upsetting the Twenty20 world champions.

Bangladesh's opportunity to bounce back comes when the second Test begins on 21st November in Khulna.