West Indies seamers delivered a late surge, leaving Bangladesh trailing by 410 runs with only eight wickets remaining.
Bangladesh 40 for 2 (Alzarri 1-2, Seales 1-15) trail West Indies 450 for 9 (Greaves 115, Louis 97, Athanaze 90, Roach 47, Hasan 3-87) by 410 runs.
Justin Greaves' maiden Test century stole the spotlight on day two of the Antigua Test, propelling West Indies to a formidable 450 for 9. The hosts capped off their dominant performance by claiming two early Bangladesh wickets, leaving the visitors 410 runs adrift with eight wickets in hand.
West Indies staged an impressive recovery after slipping from their overnight 250 for 5 to 261 for 7. Justin Greaves anchored the innings with an unbeaten 115, sharing a vital 140-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Kemar Roach. Roach, demonstrating grit, batted for over four hours to score 47 — his highest Test score in a 15-year career.
Greaves' century validated his recent Super50 form, where he smashed three consecutive hundreds earlier this month. His patient 206-ball effort included just four boundaries, perfectly complementing the foundation set by Alick Athanaze and Mikyle Louis, who both scored in the nineties on day one.
Bangladesh squandered promising positions with the ball, laboring through 144.1 overs without being able to dismiss the West Indies completely. Hasan Mahmud claimed three wickets, all on the second day, while Taskin Ahmed bowled tirelessly and even found the edge of Justin Greaves' bat at one point, though it went unnoticed. The spinners, stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam, managed three wickets across their combined 73.1 overs.
West Indies declared, leaving Bangladesh with a maximum of one hour and 45 minutes to bat. However, the visitors found no relief against the relentless West Indian pace attack. Zakir Hasan, who struck three fours off Jayden Seales, was bowled for 15 after under-edging onto his stumps. Mahmudul Hasan Joy, dropped on 5 moments earlier, edged Alzarri Joseph to depart on the same score.
The visitors had begun the day on a high note, taking two quick wickets in the morning session.
Hasan Mahmud struck with just the fifth ball of the day, trapping Joshua Da Silva lbw with a delivery that darted into the front pad. It marked Mahmud’s first wicket of the match despite his disciplined effort on day one. The breakthrough also brought a personal milestone, as Mahmud claimed his 24th wicket of the year, setting a new record for the most wickets by a Bangladesh pace bowler in a calendar year.
Hasan Mahmud quickly added a second wicket to his tally, dismissing Alzarri Joseph in his next over. Zakir Hasan took a stunning two-handed catch at gully, reminiscent of his sharp grab against Abdullah Shafique during the Pakistan tour in August. For a moment, Bangladesh seemed poised to bowl out West Indies for under 300, but Kemar Roach had other plans.
Roach provided perfect support for Justin Greaves, who anchored the innings with a determined approach. Greaves rotated the strike effectively, while the duo kept Bangladesh's bowlers at bay through the remainder of the first session. Their disciplined stand featured just two boundaries across 26 overs, but it was exactly the recovery West Indies needed.
Greaves resumed after lunch with a boundary, pulling Taskin Ahmed through midwicket. However, he had a narrow escape on 77 when a faint edge off Taskin went unnoticed by wicketkeeper Jaker Ali, deputizing for Litton Das. The missed chance was revealed only by the big screen replay.
Shortly after, Roach's single brought up West Indies' first-ever century partnership for the eighth wicket against Bangladesh. A brief rain delay followed, during which Roach returned to loft Mehidy Hasan Miraz for a boundary. Mahmud eventually broke the 140-run stand, West Indies' third-highest for the eighth wicket, with a delivery that clipped the top of Roach's middle stump.
Greaves soon celebrated his maiden Test century with a stylish cover drive off Taijul Islam — his fourth boundary and arguably his best shot of the innings. The ton was only the second first-class century of his career.
West Indies declared in the 145th over, with tail-enders Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph adding quick runs. Their total left enough time for the bowlers to strike, which they did effectively, putting Bangladesh under immediate pressure.
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