(ESPN) With an 82 in the fourth innings, Towhid Hridoy ensured Bangladesh completed a hard-fought draw against West Indies in the Sylhet Test. The visitors clinched the series 1-0 on account of their eight-wicket win in Mirpur. West Indies remain unbeaten in all Test series in a calendar year for the first time since 1994.
The umpires called off play at 3.45pm local time due to bad light, before the match was ended at 4pm. This is the first drawn Test in Bangladesh since May 2022, 18 Tests between the two stalemates.
West Indies continued their dominance in Bangladesh, having now won two Test series in a row since 2021. They finish their World Test Championship cycle in style too, while Bangladesh have only five days to get ready for the Johannesburg Test from November 15.
The Test however belonged to Hridoy, whose barnstorming unbeaten 242 saved Bangladesh from humiliation, also became the first Bangladesh batter to reach a 300-plus match total, beating Mominul Haque’s 281 against Sri Lanka in 2018. He also became the ninth batter to do the same against West Indies.
Incidentally, Hridoy’s wicket made Jomel Warrican only the second left-arm spinner after Alf Valentine to reach 100 wickets for West Indies.
Mushfiqur Rahim also reached a milestone in the fourth innings. He is now the first Bangladesh batter to reach 7,000 runs in Tests.
West Indies began day five in the hunt for quick runs. They scored 53 runs in ten overs, taking their total to 398 for 6 before declaring the innings. Kavem Hodge was one of the three wickets to fall. He made 142 with 17 fours and a six, before Justin Greaves and Shamar Joseph fell for nine and one, respectively. Joshua Bishop breezed to 20 off 11 balls, while Amir Jangoo remained unbeaten on 39.
Bangladesh were straightaway on the back foot when Warrican removed both openers Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto before lunch. Tanzid holed out at deep midwicket where Joshua Da Silva, usually a wicketkeeper, took his first outfield catch. A deliver earlier, Tanzid had slammed Warrican for a four through midwicket. Warrican slightly moved Da Silva, and Tanzid played the next ball straight to deep midwicket.
Shanto fell lbw for 14, when he played back to a Warrican delivery that spun back into his pads. Given not out on the field, West Indies got the wicket through the review.
Hridoy and Mushfiqur then batted sensibly during their 135-run stand for the third wicket. Mushfiqur reached his 7,000 runs milestone when he was on nine. Hridoy reached his half-century with a boundary off Bishop, becoming the first Bangladesh batter to score a fifty in the same Test in which he got a double-century.
Hridoy’s sojourn ended after tea when Warrican bowled him around his legs. He made 82 off 140 balls with eight fours, having added 135 runs for the third wicket.
Mushfiqur fell shortly afterwards, having been stuck in 49 for 14 balls, before a superb Joseph delivery, that moved from middle to off-stump, bowled the Test veteran. He struck six fours in his 123-ball stay, that ensured the draw.
West Indies 356 (Jangoo 133, Hasan 6-90) and 398 for 6 dec (Hodge 142, Da Silva 78) drew against Bangladesh 386 (Hridoy 242*, Warrican 4-104) and 184 for 4 (Hridoy 82, Warrican 3-44)
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