Bangladesh Stunning Test Victory in West Indies After 15 Years Wait: Levels Series with 1-1!

On 3rd December 2015 (Tuesday), Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s led Bangladesh cricket team achieved the first test victory on the Caribbean soil since July 2009 and brought an end to their 15-year drought period.

After a 201-run loss in the first test, Bangladesh made a stunning comeback to achieve their second-biggest victory in the red ball format. With this win, the visitors concluded their third cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) on a positive note by ranking at the 8th position and leaving West Indies struggling at the bottom end of the WTC 2023-25 points table.

At one stage, Jayden Seales’s 4-fer and Shamar Joseph’s 3-fer wrapped Bangladesh’s first innings to a mere total of 164 runs, which raised a huge threat of losing the 2nd test as well as the series.

Nahid Rana’s 5-fer in the first innings and Taijul Islam claiming his 15th five-wicket haul in the 2nd innings led Bangladesh to a historical 101-run win against the West Indies and settled the 2-match test series with 1-1at the Sabina Park.

As Bangladesh reached a three-figure mark in both innings riding on the half-centuries of Shadman Islam and Jaker Ali, it was the bowlers who played a crucial role in the team’s remarkable success.

Despite the fighting performances of Kavem Hodge and Kraigg Brathwaite, the West Indies batting lineup collapsed on Day 4 of the second test while attempting to chase the target of 287 runs.

Let’s explore how Bangladesh overcame the scare of facing another humiliating loss and their efforts to secure one of the most inspirational victories in test cricket.

Shadman Islam’s Lone Battle in Bangladesh’s 1st Innings

Bangladeshi opening batter Shadman Islam faced 137 balls to score 64 runs steadily by striking 5 fours and a six, which helped revive his team’s innings from a shaky start. Reaching a total of 164 in 71.5 overs was possible due to the supportive contributions of Mehidy Hasan Miraz (36 runs), Shahadat Hossain Dipu (22 runs), and Taijul Islam (16 runs).

Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph Too Tough To Handle

West Indies pacers Jayden Seales (4-5 in 15.5 overs) and Shamar Joseph (3-49 in 15 overs) made it difficult for the visitors to accumulate runs on the board. In addition, the contributions from the other two fast bowlers Kemar Roach (2-45 in 15 overs) and Alzarri Joseph (1-29 in 14 overs) helped dismantle Bangladesh’s batting line-up.

Nahid Rana’s 5-Fer Wraps West Indies 1st Innings Total to 146 Runs

Bangladeshi pacer Nahid Rana’s bowling figures of 5-61 in 18 overs at an economy of 3.40 reveal the struggling batting performances of the hosts.

Furthermore, the notable performances from Hasan Mahmud (2-19 in 11 overs), Taskin Ahmed (1-20 in 14 overs), Taijul Islam (1-24 in 17 overs), and Mehidy Hasan (1-15 in 5 overs) resulted in the West Indies succumbing to a total of 146 in 65 overs.

West Indies first innings with the bat concluded trailing by 18 runs despite Keacy Carty’s 115-ball-40 runs (including a four) and Kraigg Brathwaite’s 129-ball-39 runs (including 3 fours).

Jaker Ali Misses Out Achieving His Maiden Test Century in Bangladesh’s 2nd Innings

Batting at the No.6 spot, Jaker Ali played his career-best knock of 91 runs out of just 106 balls (including 8 fours and 5 sixes). However, he fell nine runs short of recording his first test hundred as West Indies concluded Bangladesh’s second innings total to 268 in 59.5 overs before lunch. It includes the crucial contributions from Alzarri Joseph and Kemar Roach, who grabbed 3 wickets each.

Taijul Islam’s 5-wicket Haul: Turning Point of the Match

Bangladeshi off-spinner Taijul Islam made use of the pitch conditions that started to offer lower bounce and huge turns. Also, he recorded his best bowling figures on West Indies soil (5-50 in 17 overs).

Kavem Hodge’s 75-ball-55 runs (including 6 fours) and Kraigg Brathwaite’s 63-ball-43 runs (including 2 fours and 1 six) sparked West Indies’ hopes to chase the required target and win the series. However, Taijul’s 5-wicket haul included the dismissals of these two top performers at crucial moments of the game on the fourth day.

Finally, the handy contributions from Hasan Mahmud (2-20 in 6 overs), Taskin Ahmed (2-45 in 10 overs), and Nahid Rana (1-32 in 9 overs) assisted their team in achieving a massive victory of 101 runs by restricting West Indies’ 2nd innings total to 185 in the 50th over.

Has the WTC 2023-25 Cycle Been Successful for Bangladesh? Overall Thoughts

Although Bangladesh started its journey on a successful note by securing a 150-run victory against New Zealand, they failed to secure their spot in the WTC 2025 final despite wrapping up their cycle with a terrific win against the West Indies. This is because Bangladesh suffered severe setbacks that left them to add just 4 wins out of 12 test matches in their recently concluded cycle. It includes their only victory in the 2-match test series against Pakistan and three clean sweep losses against Sri Lanka, India, and South Africa.

With 45 points and 31.25 PCT, it becomes highly impossible for Bangladesh to participate in their first-ever WTC finals.

Suppose West Indies manages to win their remaining two test matches of the third cycle in Pakistan, then it would be a disappointing moment for Bangladesh as they will be pushed to the bottom position of the WTC 2023-25 points table

In conclusion, here is the performance summary that highlights the fact that Bangladesh’s WTC 2023-25 cycle has been mixed with ups and downs moments: