Jangoo’s century exposes toothless spin attack

West Indies recovered from an early collapse to take control of the opening day of the Sylhet Test, reaching 235-4 at stumps after losing three wickets for just 41 runs in the first hour. Aamir Jangoo led the fightback with a magnificent century, having been dismissed for a duck in the first innings of his Test debut.

Jangoo was unbeaten on 111 at the close on Thursday, with Justin Greaves on 35. Tigers’ four wickets were shared between pacers Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud, while none of the three spinners, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan, managed a breakthrough.

Bangladesh's team management retained the same bowling combination used in the Mirpur Test, opting for three spinners and two pacers. Taskin replaced Shoriful Islam, but the decision to persist with the spin-heavy attack came under scrutiny after the visitors' recovery.

Taskin and Hasan gave the hosts an early boost after West Indies elected to bat. Hasan could have struck in the second over when Joshua Da Silva offered a catch at second slip, but the ball slipped through Shadman Islam's hands.

Bangladesh, however, did not have to wait long for their first breakthrough. Taskin bowled Brandon King with an inswinger in the fifth over as the batter attempted to flick the ball. West Indies lost their second wicket at 15 when Kavem Hodge left an angled delivery from Hasan and was bowled.

Three overs later, the senior pacer struck again, trapping Joshua Da Silva lbw with a 132kph delivery. The batter did not even consider taking a review.

With the visitors struggling at 41-3, Jangoo and debutant Kevin Wickham steadied the innings with a 131-run fourth-wicket partnership. Wickham made an impressive start to his Test career, bringing up a half-century before Hasan ended his resistance on 61.

Wickham was bowled in the fourth over of the third session while attempting to drive an angled delivery from the 27-year-old.

Jangoo, however, continued to grow in confidence as the innings progressed. Having fallen for a duck in the first innings of the Mirpur Test, the left-hander made amends in emphatic fashion in Sylhet.

The 29-year-old had to wait 17 months for his second Test after making his debut against Pakistan in Multan in January last year. He made a remarkable return against Sri Lanka in Antigua, scoring 233 in his second Test appearance. His 579-minute effort helped West Indies secure an innings-and-217-run victory, earning him the Player of the Match award.

Against Bangladesh, Jangoo showed that he has the temperament and ability to establish himself in Test cricket.

The wicketkeeper reached his half-century off 86 balls and added two sixes to his innings, one off Nayeem over midwicket and another off Taijul over long-off after stepping down the track.

He brought up his second Test century off 149 deliveries and remained unbeaten at the close.

West Indies maintained their grip on the day after the early setbacks. Having lost three wickets for 41 in the opening hour, they added 45 runs without losing a wicket in the second hour. They scored another 44 in the hour after lunch before losing one wicket while adding 50 in the following period.

The visitors finished strongly in the final session, scoring 55 runs in just 15 overs without losing a wicket. Jangoo and Greaves added an unbroken 77-run stand.

Like the Mirpur Test, bad light disrupted play in Sylhet. The teams managed 20 fewer overs than scheduled, with only five overs bowled between 3:15pm and 4:30pm Bangladesh Standard Time.