West Indies took a 1-0 lead in their two-match Test series against Bangladesh on Saturday, claiming a dominant eight-wicket victory at Mirpur. The win was anchored by a career-best 81 not out from Brandon King, who guided his team to a target of 170 in 35.1 overs on the fourth day. King hit 10 fours and a six in his 115-ball knock to help the visitors chase down the target of 170 in 35.1 overs on the fourth day in Mirpur after Bangladesh were bowled out for 142 in their second innings. Jaker, who scored 22 off 34 balls, was the second-highest scorer for Bangladesh in the innings. On 21 and 29, to keep Bangladesh going, nayeem Hasan survived two dropped catches off Chase. Nayeem added 26 runs with Hasan Mahmud before Warrican trapped the latter lbw for eight. Taijul Islam contributed eight in a 17-run partnership with Nayeem before Chase dismissed him to leave Bangladesh at 127-9. With openers King and John Campbell continuing their aggressive approach to take the visitors to 64 without loss in 14.1 overs before rain interrupted play, west Indies started confidently.
The victory was built on a collective bowling effort. Jomel Warrican, named player of the match, followed his first-innings five-wicket haul with 4-63, while captain Roston Chase dismantled the hosts with 5-36. This performance marked the fifth time in his Test career that Chase has taken five or more wickets in an innings. Named player of the match, claimed 4-63 to follow up his five-wicket haul in Bangladesh’s first innings as the hosts were bowled out in 48.4 overs, jomel Warrican.
Bangladesh, having resumed the day at 79-6, struggled to set a competitive target. Holding a lead of 106, but their hopes of setting a challenging target suffered an early blow when Jaker Ali edged Warrican to slip, where Chase took the catch, bangladesh had resumed the fourth day at 79-6.
Jaker Ali was dismissed early for 22, while Nayeem Hasan provided late resistance with a maiden Test half-century. Nayeem eventually fell for 52 off 91 balls after being caught by Joshua Bishop, leaving the tail unable to extend the total significantly. With four boundaries, but his resistance ended when he attempted to hit Chase over long-on and was caught by Joshua Bishop, nayeem then reached his maiden Test half-century off 87 balls.
Reflecting on the result, captain Roston Chase noted the team’s resilience. “The guys were determined, even though we didn’t have a good start in the first innings,” he said. “We lost the lead, but we were still determined to fight back and try to win the game, and that’s what we did.”
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted his side struggled with execution. “All three departments didn’t do well, especially in the field,” Shanto remarked. “I believe the intention and preparation were quite good, but going forward, we need to look at those areas and work out how we can do better in these conditions.”
The run chase faced intermittent weather interruptions. Openers King and John Campbell had reached 64-0 before rain halted play. Later, a second delay was caused by bad light and lightning. During the chase, King was given a reprieve when substitute fielder Ebadot Hossain dropped him on 70, allowing the opener to steer his side home.
John Campbell provided solid support, contributing 49 off 55 deliveries with six fours and a six before he was bowled by Shoriful Islam. The win builds on a strong run of form for the West Indies, who previously challenged India in a one-day series and drew a T20 series against the world champions earlier this month.
Both teams will now shift their focus to the second Test, which is scheduled to commence on November 5 in Sylhet.
