A remarkable bowling performance by Jayden Seales, coupled with a brilliant burst from Shamar Joseph, helped West Indies gain the upper hand on Day 2 of the second Test against Bangladesh at Sabina Park. After dismissing Bangladesh for just 164, the West Indies reached 70 for 1 in reply, trailing by 94 runs when bad light brought a premature end to play.
Seales was the standout bowler, finishing with stunning figures of 4 for 5 from 15.5 overs, the most economical bowling performance in Test cricket since 1977 for anyone who bowled a minimum of 60 balls. His relentless accuracy and control tore through Bangladesh’s batting lineup, as he helped reduce the visitors from a solid position of 83 for 2 to a dismal 98 for 6. The collapse was triggered by Shamar Joseph, who claimed three key wickets in quick succession.
Joseph’s first breakthrough came when he dismissed Shahadat Hossain for 22, ending a patient 73-run stand with Shadman Islam. He followed that up with two more wickets: Jaker Ali, who was caught behind after being late on a pull shot, and Shadman Islam, who was caught behind after edging a delivery from Joseph. Seales also had a part to play, dismissing Litton Das cheaply for just 1.
The collapse continued after lunch, as Shamar and Alzarri Joseph attempted to use the short ball against Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam. However, the pair of Bangladesh batters showed resilience, adding 41 runs in 116 balls to frustrate the West Indies attack. The breakthrough came when Taijul fended a short ball from Alzarri Joseph to third slip.
Seales then took over, claiming the last three wickets for just five runs. Taskin Ahmed fell first, caught behind off a short ball, before Seales dismissed Mehidy Hasan Miraz with a top-edged hook. The final wicket fell when Seales uprooted Nahid Rana’s leg stump, sealing Bangladesh’s innings.
In response, West Indies began their chase cautiously. Mikyle Louis fell early for 12, caught behind off the bowling of Rana, as the Bangladesh seamers maintained tight lines, particularly in the first session. However, Kraigg Brathwaite (33*) and Keacy Carty (17*) steadied the innings and survived the remainder of the day, ensuring that the hosts would finish the day with only one wicket down.
The West Indies will be hoping that their solid opening partnership will continue on Day 3, as they chase a relatively small target with nine wickets in hand. Bangladesh, on the other hand, will need to break through quickly and bowl out the West Indies to have any chance of taking the lead in this crucial second Test.
With both teams displaying moments of brilliance, the contest remains finely poised heading into the third day.
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