Bowling and fielding woes leave Tigers facing tougher victory equation

West Indies: 356 & 345-3 (83 overs)

Bangladesh: 386 (1st innings)

(At stumps on Day 4)

Bangladesh endured a frustrating fourth day with both ball and in the field as West Indies tightened their grip on the Sylhet Test, reaching 345-3 in their second innings to stretch their overall lead to 315 runs.

The expected deterioration of the Sylhet pitch has yet to materialise, even after four days of the Test. Instead of offering greater assistance to the spinners or producing uneven bounce, the surface has remained increasingly favourable for batting, leaving Bangladesh with a mountain to climb on the final day.

The contrast with the previous Test at the venue is striking. Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 78 runs in May last year, with 37 wickets falling in the first four days, including seven on the fourth. This time, only 23 wickets have fallen across four days, with just three on Monday.

West Indies added 345 runs on the fourth day, taking their overall lead to 315 after Bangladesh secured a 30-run first-innings advantage. Kavem Hodge was unbeaten on 140, while Amir Jangoo was 20 not out at stumps.

Bangladesh’s highest successful fourth-innings chase in Tests is 215, achieved against West Indies in the Caribbean in 2009. They now face a daunting task, with at least 316 required for victory.

West Indies’ openers came out attacking, adding 59 runs in the first 14 overs. Bangladesh fought back in the second hour as spinners Taijul Islam claimed two wickets for 118 runs and Mehidy Hasan Miraz claimed 1 wicket for 58 runs.

Joshua Da Silva fell leg-before to Taijul for 36 off 70 balls. Just before lunch, Brandon King was caught at slip off Miraz after scoring 61 from 84 deliveries.

West Indies reached 121-2 in the first session but lost no further wickets in the second, adding 131 runs. Bangladesh managed one breakthrough in the final session when Taijul dismissed Wickham, who made 78 off 107 balls. The debutant thus completed half-centuries in both innings, having scored 67 in the first.

Hodge was the chief tormentor of the Bangladesh attack. He shared a 165-run third-wicket stand with Wickham from 221 balls before adding an unbeaten 61 with Jangoo for the fourth wicket.

The right-hander handled all three Bangladesh spinners with confidence, using the sweep to good effect. He brought up his third Test century with a sweep off Taijul. Hodge had previously scored a career-best 123 against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui last December. He surpassed that mark in Sylhet, reaching 140 not out from 189 balls, with 17 fours and a six.

Bangladesh’s two pacers, Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud, also endured a difficult day. They bowled 11 overs each but failed to take a wicket, conceding 112 runs between them at an economy rate of 5.09. Taijul, despite claiming two wickets, was also relatively expensive, conceding 4.10 runs per over.

Bangladesh’s fielding added to their frustration. An overthrow from Tanzid Hasan Tamim gifted West Indies an extra boundary, while captain Najmul Hossain Shanto missed a chance to dismiss Jangoo on seven, dropping a slip catch off Nayeem Hasan.

Bangladesh will now have to wait to see how costly those missed opportunities prove to be as they prepare for a formidable final-day challenge.