West Indies lead crosses 200 in Sylhet Test, Bangladesh under severe pressure

Tawhid Hridoy's remarkable innings of 242 runs had given Bangladesh a 30-run lead in the first innings. Supporters had even begun to dream of a win in the Sylhet Test. But on the fourth day, West Indies' batting dealt a big blow to that dream. The visitors have already taken a lead of more than 200 runs.

In Sylhet, aggressive batting in the second innings has left Bangladesh's bowlers largely ineffective. In particular, the unbroken partnership of Kavem Hodge and Kevin Wickham has put much of the control of the match in the visitors' hands.

West Indies resumed on the fourth morning on 7 without loss. From the start, Brendon King and Joshua Da Silva increased the scoring rate. They added 86 runs for the first wicket.

Taijul Islam broke the partnership by dismissing Da Silva for 36. Mehedi Hasan Miraz then sent back King, who had made 61. But that did not slow the Caribbean side's scoring.

At the third wicket, Kavem Hodge and Kevin Wickham took the attack to Bangladesh's bowlers. Their fluent batting quickly pushed West Indies' total upward. After 56 overs, the team stood at 230 for 2.

Wickham, who has scored a fifty in both innings of his debut Test, is batting on 57. At the other end, Hodge is unbeaten on 71. Their partnership has passed 100 runs.

Overall, West Indies' lead has grown to 231 runs. With eight wickets in hand, the visitors are heading towards an even bigger total.

For Bangladesh, Taijul and Miraz have taken one wicket each so far. But in the first session of the fourth day, the bowlers could not create many chances.

To get back into the match, the hosts have no alternative but to take quick wickets. If the Hodge-Wickham partnership is not broken, a tough target awaits Bangladesh in the Sylhet Test.