Kavem Hodge’s unbeaten 140 and debutant Kevin Wickham’s 78 took West Indies to 345 for 3 on Day 4 in Sylhet, a lead of 315, before bad light ended play early. Bangladesh took three wickets and now need a fightback to avoid a 2-0 series defeat.
Sylhet, Bangladesh: West Indies resumed on Sunday at 7 without loss, 23 runs behind, and by stumps they had turned that deficit into a lead of 315 with seven wickets in hand. Bangladesh had spent Saturday building a first-innings 386 around Towhid Hridoy’s record 242. One day later, it looks like a total that has been neutralised.
The openers erase the deficit
Brandon King and Joshua Da Silva wiped out the 23-run gap and kept going, adding 85 for the first wicket. Taijul Islam ended it by trapping Da Silva lbw for 36. King followed for 61 off 84 balls, finding the outside edge against Mehidy Hasan Miraz and giving Najmul Hossain Shanto a catch at slip.
Wickham and Hodge take the game away
Two wickets down, with the lead still modest, Hodge and Wickham settled in. Wickham, playing his first Test, reached a second half-century of the match and finished on 78 before chipping a return catch to Taijul. Bangladesh found no breakthrough through the second session, and West Indies were 259 for 2 at tea.
Hodge was the constant. His 140 not out, with 17 fours and a six, is his third Test hundred and the innings that turned a competitive match into a commanding position for the visitors.
Light closes the day
Amir Jangoo, who made a century in West Indies’ first innings, was unbeaten on 20 and added an unbroken 61 with Hodge before bad light brought stumps early. Taijul finished with 2 for 118 and Mehidy 1 for 58. West Indies lead the series 1-0 after their eight-wicket win in the first Test at Mirpur, and as our Day 3 report showed, Bangladesh had held the upper hand a day earlier. On Monday, Hodge and Jangoo resume with the match, and a 2-0 sweep, in West Indies’ hands.
Close of play, Day 4: West Indies 356 and 345/3 (Kavem Hodge 140*, Kevin Wickham 78, Brandon King 61, Joshua Da Silva 36, Amir Jangoo 20*; Taijul Islam 2/118, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 1/58). Bangladesh 386. West Indies lead by 315 runs.
