Hodge century puts West Indies 315 ahead in Sylhet Test
The fourth day of the Sylhet Test was a frustrating one for Bangladesh's bowlers. West Indies dominated with the bat all day to take control of the match. Kavem Hodge's unbeaten century and his 165-run stand with Kevin Wickham took the Caribbean side's lead past 300. When bad light stopped play, they had reached 345 for 3 in their second innings, leading Bangladesh by 315 runs.
On Sunday at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, the scoring rate stayed high even in the first session. West Indies added 121 runs in 30 overs in the first session. Joshua Da Silva was trapped lbw by Taijul Islam for 36. Mehidy Hasan Miraz then removed Brandon King for 61 to give Bangladesh its second success. But after those two wickets, there was no more relief for the home side.
In the second session, debutant Kevin Wickham joined Hodge. Together they built a 165-run partnership for the third wicket. They added 131 runs in 28 overs in that session. At tea, Hodge was unbeaten on 93 and Wickham on 63. Their batting did not falter after the break either.
Taijul eventually broke the stand by dismissing Wickham for 78. Wickham created a notable record on debut, scoring a fifty in both innings of his first Test.
Even after Wickham departed, Hodge could not be stopped. After bringing up his third Test century, he made the innings even bigger. At stumps, he was unbeaten on 140 off 189 balls. Amir Jangoo, who scored a century in the first innings, was unbeaten on 20.
West Indies batted 79 overs through the day, adding 338 runs while losing only three wickets. For Bangladesh, Taijul took two wickets and Miraz one. The rest of the bowlers went wicketless.
In reply to West Indies' first-innings 356, Bangladesh had scored 386. Tawhid Hridoy's unbeaten 242 gave the hosts a 30-run lead. But West Indies' batting dominance in the second innings has made that advantage count for nothing. A difficult challenge now awaits Bangladesh.
Bangladesh's record for the highest successful run chase in Tests is 215. In 2009, Bangladesh chased down that target against West Indies in Kingston. To win in Sylhet this time, they will have to go past their own record.
West Indies, however, still have seven wickets in hand. The big question now is where the lead stops if they keep batting on the fifth day. How much harder Bangladesh's target becomes will depend on the visitors' declaration decision.
With bad light ending the day's play early, the final day's battle will have to wait until Monday. Bangladesh's bowlers now have one job: take quick wickets on the fifth morning and keep the lead as small as possible.
