SPOILS SHARED
SPOILS SHARED . Brathwaite rues performance as West Indies fall to Bangladesh
The Jamaica Observer
West Indies’ Captain Kraigg Brathwaite (left) and Bangladesh’s Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz pose with the Test Match Trophy after Bangladesh beat the West Indies by 101 runs in the second match at Sabina Park to tie the series at 1-1 on Tuesday. Garfield Robinson

West Indies Captain Kraigg Brathwaite lamented their inability to execute their game plan as they succumbed to Bangladesh on the fourth day of the second Test match at Sabina Park on Tuesday.

Despite a fighting half-century from Kavem Hodge and a solid 43 from Captain Brathwaite, the West Indies were bowled out for 185 runs from 50 overs, handing Bangladesh a convincing 101-run victory and tying the series at 1-1.

Taijul Islam proved to be the nemesis for the West Indies, claiming five crucial wickets to leave the hosts reeling. His spin bowling caused problems for the West Indies batsmen, who struggled to cope with his variations.

Hodge’s knock of 55 runs from 75 balls, inclusive of six boundaries, was really the lone bright spot for the West Indies at point in the game, but his dismissal leg before wicket to Islam in the 39th over marked a significant turning point in the match. The West Indies’ batting line-up crumbled under pressure with wickets falling at regular intervals.

Reflecting on the loss, Brathwaite emphasised the importance of being impulsive and adapting to the situation.

“The game plan was to be impulsive, that was the first thing I let the guys know,” he said. “I thought we started well, but obviously, we didn’t carry it right through the day.”

Brathwaite acknowledged that the West Indies’ performance in Test cricket is not yet at the aspired level. He attributed this to the team’s relative inexperience in the longest format of the game.

“Test cricket is not to the level we know we can be,” he said. “You know, young guys, in terms of playing Test cricket, in terms of more games…obviously, it’s important to learn as you play.”

The West Indies captain stressed the need for his team to improve their execution under pressure.

“It’s about executing better and sticking to those plans,” he said. “Obviously, playing Test cricket is a high-pressure game, and I think our execution could be a lot better, as batsmen, our attacking shot, especially.”

Despite the setbacks, Brathwaite remains optimistic about the team’s potential.

“Once we get better at that, I am confident that this group can do great things with the bat,” he said.

Resuming on 193-5, Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 268 (59.5 overs), setting the West Indies a challenging target. Jaker Ali top scored for Bangladesh with a well-crafted 91 runs, helping the visitors set a challenging target. Resuming on 29 runs, Ali added 62 runs to his overnight total, facing 106 balls in the process. His innings was eventually brought to an end when he was caught by Alick Athanaze off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph, who finished with three wickets to his name. His wickets came off 15.5 overs, leaking 77 runs.

Joseph was well supported by fellow pacer Kemar Roach, who also claimed three wickets from 10 overs that cost 36 runs.

In reply, the West Indies suffered early setbacks in their run chase. Mikyle Louis was the first to fall, caught by Shahadat Hossain off the bowling of Taijul Islam for just six runs off 12 balls, leaving the West Indies at 23-1. Keacy Carty followed soon after, dismissed by Taskin Ahmed for 14 runs off 43 balls, as the West Indies slipped to 57-2 in 14.5 overs.

Despite the early losses of Louis and Carty, Brathwaite and Hodge attempted to steady the ship, guiding the West Indies to 93-3 in 24.3 overs. Brathwaite played a responsible knock off 63 balls, including one six and two boundaries, before falling to Islam.

Islam struck again just a few overs later, clean bowling Athanaze for a sloppy shot, leaving the West Indies reeling at 106-4 in 26.1 overs. Athanaze made just five runs from six deliveries.

Bangladesh fancied their chances of levelling the series when Hodge was dismissed, leaving the home team reeling at 143-5 still requiring a further 144 runs to win.

Hodge had been a steady presence in the middle, sharing a valuable 37-run partnership with Justin Greaves. However, when his resistance was eventually broken, the West Indies’ hopes of achieving a comeback victory were very slim.

The writing was on the wall as the West Indies continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Ahmed clean-bowled Greaves for 20 runs in the 43rd over, and Islam trapped Joshua Da Silva in front for 12 runs in the 46th over, leaving the West Indies wobbling at 167-7, with their last three wickets falling for 21 runs.
Jamaica
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2024-12-04
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Brathwaite rues performance as West Indies fall to Bangladesh
SPOILS SHARED