Spinners and Mominul seal the show for Bangladesh to beat West Indies

A 6-wicket haul by Taijul Islam and an overall effort by the spinners sealed the show for Bangladesh as they defeated the visitors by 64 runs in the first Test match. The spinners from both teams ensured a rigorous contest on Day 2 of the first Test between Bangladesh and West Indies.

"I always concentrate on bowling to contain runs" – Taijul Islam after his 6/33 helped Bangladesh seal victory in the first Test over the Windies.#BANvWI REACTION 👇https://t.co/hOs8Ovbyij pic.twitter.com/owopLxrDpk

— ICC (@ICC) November 27, 2018

After  Mominul Haque and Shannon Gabriel maintained a certain equilibrium between bat and ball on Day 1, the spinners bagged 17 wickets on the second day. The home team staged a last session signature collapse and they stand at 55 for 5. Meanwhile, the 17-year-old Nayeem Hasan became the youngest ever debutant to bag a five-wicket haul in Test Cricket.

Bangladesh remained on 315 for the loss of 8 wickets at Stumps Day 1. Debutant Nayeem Hasan and Taijul Islam, both tailenders, established a 9th wicket partnership of 65 runs that aided Bangladesh to post a total of 324. Spinners Nayeem Hasan, Shakib AL Hasan, Taijul Islam ripped through the West Indies upper order. The visitors were five wickets down when on 88 at 31.5 overs.

Shakib Al Hasan sets a new all-round mark in Tests 🙌https://t.co/dh8SxDpPoa #BANvWI #Record pic.twitter.com/KyhVw0MdsS

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 24, 2018

West Indies finally found a breath of stability in the 6th wicket partnership of Shimron Hetmyer and Shane Dowrich. The left-right handed pair recorded a partnership of 92 at a crucial stage for the visitors. 

After West Indies spinners Devendra Bishoo, Roston Chase and Jomel Warrican bowled out Bangladesh for 125 in the 3rd innings, West Indies had to chase a target of 204 runs. While chasing it down, Taijul Islam breathed out fire with his bowling and claimed six wickets in the process. Only three West Indies batsman could manage runs in double figures- Sunil Ambris, Shimron Hetmyer, and Jomel Warrican. 

All in all, this bowlers dominated Test match at Chittagong was a witness to spinners bagging 34 wickets out of all 40. Just recently, in a match between England and Sri Lanka, the spinners picked up 38 wickets in a match. This week in Test Cricket has been really great for spinners. Bangladesh are now ahead by 1-0 in this two-match Test series. The next test match is scheduled to be played on November 30. Shannon Gabriel, who claimed four wickets in the first innings, has been suspended for one game for disciplinary reasons and won’t feature in the second Test match.

Fixture: Bangladesh vs West Indies, 2nd Test match at Dhaka on November 30 (match starts at 9:00 am local time)