Late strikes give Bangladesh hope

Khaled Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz struck late in the session to bring Bangladesh back into the contest after a century opening stand from Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell as West Indies went into Lunch on the second day on 137-4 on Saturday.

Khaled struck twice while Miraz and Shoriful Islam took one wicket each in the session. Jermaine Blackwood and Kyle Mayers remained unbeaten on two and four respectively as the hosts are still trailing the visitors by 97 runs in the first innings.

Resuming on 67-0, trailing by 167, the opening pair batted for another 10 overs to complete a 100-run stand.

Both Brathwaite and Campbell were closing in on a half-century and the urgency to get to the landmark brought the latter’s demise.

Campbell attempted to pull a short delivery from Shoriful but could only top-edge it straight to wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan, getting dismissed for 45.

The rate of scoring dipped after the first wicket as Bangladesh bowlers kept exerting pressure, but weren’t getting rewarded.

Brathwaite completed his fifty but didn’t stay around much longer as he missed an arm delivery from Miraz that went through his defences to be dismissed for 51.

In the very next over, Khaled clean bowled Raymon Reifer for 22 and Nkrumah Bonner for a duck to reduce West Indies to 132-4.

Mayers and Blackwood held on in the final few overs of the session and made sure Bangladesh bowlers could make no further inroads.