Bangladesh 49 for 2 at lunch chasing 369 in Sylhet Test, still need 320 more

Bangladesh have been set a stiff target of 369 runs to win on the fifth day of the Sylhet Test. But the hosts have suffered early blows in the chase.

After West Indies declared their second innings, Bangladesh went into bat and reached 49 for 2 in 14 overs at the end of the first session. The equation for victory on the final day has become difficult, and the Tigers also face a big test in their fight to save the Test.

West Indies, who had trailed by 30 runs in the first innings, bounced back strongly with the bat in the second innings. Riding on a superb century by Kavem Hodge, the Caribbean side declared at 398 for 6 in 93 overs.

Hodge played the highest innings for the team, scoring 142 runs. He built his 190-ball innings with fine batting.

Kevin Wickham and Brandon King made big contributions alongside Hodge. Wickham scored 78 runs and King made 61. Amir Jangoo was unbeaten on 39, Joshua Da Silva scored 36 and Joshua Bishop was unbeaten on 20.

For Bangladesh, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nayeem Hasan took two wickets each.

Once West Indies declared, Bangladesh’s target for victory stood at 369 runs. The two openers tried to be careful from the start in chasing the big target. But Bangladesh suffered their first blow at 33 runs.

Tanzid Hasan was dismissed for 21 off Jomel Warrican. Then, as soon as the total reached 40, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto returned to the pavilion. He became Warrican’s second victim, departing for 14. Losing both openers for just 40 runs put Bangladesh under pressure.

After losing two wickets, Towhid Hridoy — who scored a record double century in the first innings — and experienced Mushfiqur Rahim are trying to steady the team. At the end of the session, Hridoy was unbeaten on 8 and Mushfiq on 5. Bangladesh’s total was 49 for 2 in 14 overs.

With the ball, Jomel Warrican has been the most successful for West Indies so far, taking Bangladesh’s two important wickets for 20 runs.

For the rest of the final day, Bangladesh now face the difficult task of scoring 320 more runs in 64 overs. To win, the hosts will have to create history, and even to draw they will have to bat out the whole day.