10 September,2014 07:34 AM IST | | Agencies
West Indies overcame their own atrocious catching and a defiant hundred by Mushfiqur Rahim to defeat Bangladesh by ten wickets before lunch on the fifth and final day of the first Test at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent on Tuesday
Kingston: Bangladesh were able to make West Indies bat again but could not avoid suffering a heavy defeat in the first Test at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent on Tuesday.
Defeat was always on the cards for Bangladesh after they followed on on day three after being skittled for 182 and while captain Mushfiqur Rahim's century ensured the tourists avoided an innings defeat, they were all out for 314 a short while after moving into positive figures.
After missing a succession of chances on the fourth day, the home side's fielders continued with their sloppy work before Musfiqur was last out for 116.
The tourists' captain was the prime beneficiary of the butter-fingered Caribbean cricketers in lifting his side to a second innings total of 314.
Needing just 13 runs for victory and a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, Chris Gayle and Kraigg Brathwaite, the "Man of the Match" for his first innings 212, knocked off the runs 40 minutes before the scheduled lunch interval.
The West Indies only needed 16 deliveries to wrap up the victory and will go to St Lucia for the second and final Test confident of wrapping up their first Test series victory in 18 months.
Needing to bat for the entire final day with just five wickets in hand was always going to be a tall order, and Bangladesh, who resumed on 256 for five - 46 runs shy of making West Indies bat again - had their hearts in their mouths when Mushfiqur was dropped by Denesh Ramdin in the third over of the day.
The West Indies, however, did not have to wait too much longer to strike when Nasir Hossain (19) mistimed a pull off Roach and Shannon Gabriel snaffled the catch at mid on to leave Bangladesh six down.
Sensing the game was all but up, Mushfiqur hit Jerome Taylor for three fours in the next over before Shuvagata Hom was pinned lbw by Roach (four for 64) without troubling the scorers.
Taijul Islam also failed to register a run as he was out nine balls later, bowled trying to keep out a Gabriel delivery which moved considerably off the pitch.
Running out of batting partners, Mushfiqur would not be denied a third Test century and he did it in style by hoisting Roach over the long on boundary for six.
Rubel Hossain then became the third consecutive Bangladesh batsman to fall for a duck when he could not get set and, like Islam, was bowled by Gabriel (two for 25).
Roach thought he had finally broken Mushfiqur's resistance and won the match for West Indies when umpire Marais Erasmus gave the batsman out lbw, but Mushfiqur reviewed and the decision was overturned when TV replays showed the delivery was going down the leg side.
Mushfiqur then levelled the scores by clubbing the next delivery to the ropes and was then given yet another reprieve when Taylor made a complete hash of his catch attempt after the visiting skipper top-edged a Gabriel delivery.
Darren Bravo, who took five catches in Bangladesh's first innings, finally ended Mushfiqur's defiant innings on 116. He held on to a simple catch off Taylor's bowling after Mushfiqur tried to hit out to cow corner and succeeded only in holing out to deep mid-wicket. Mushfiqur hit 15 fours and a six in his 243-ball stay at the crease.
Set just 13 runs to win, Chris Gayle dispatched the third ball of the innings to the boundary and, after Kraigg Brathwaite followed suit in the next over, the classy left-hander clubbed another delivery to the ropes and then nudged a single to wrap up a comprehensive victory for the hosts.
The win means Richie Richardson's unbeaten start as West Indies coach continues after he guided them to a 3-0 whitewash in the one-day international series after succeeding Ottis Gibson.
