Bangladesh crash to their lowest Test total of 43 as Roach takes 5 for West Indies

Bangladesh’s worst batting performance in Tests has seen them collapse to their lowest total of 43 in the first innings of the Antigua Test against West Indies after Kemar Roach tore the top order apart with five wickets.

The previous lowest total of the Tigers was 62 against Sri Lanka in 2007.

Wednesday’s 43 is the 10th lowest total in Test history, and the lowest in 44 years.

Captain Jason Holder won the toss and sent the Tigers in to bat first on a green wicket in overcast conditions.

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan had said they were ready for the challenge after seeing grass on the pitch.

Opener Liton Das, the sixth victim of West Indies bowling attack, scored the highest 25 runs.

It was also the only two-digit score by any Bangladesh batsman, four of whom could not score any run, in the first of the two-Test series.

The second will start in Jamaica on July 12.

The Bangladesh innings saw only three boundaries, two of which were scored by Liton and the other by last batsman Rubel Hossain.

Shannon Gabriel, who Bangladesh feared the most, failed to get any wicket. Miguel Cummins took three and Holder two.

Roach started the destruction by taking the wicket of Tamim Iqbal (4), who started only 15 runs away from 4,000 Test runs.

Shane Dowrich caught a poking Tamim behind the wicket.

Mominul Haque was out in a similar fashion, caught by Shai Hope at gully while trying to drive away a Roach delivery.  

Shakib, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, the three experienced players, all went duck in one over of Roach.

It would have been worse for Bangladesh had the pacer had not left after pulling his muscle.

The last partnership of 8 runs brought some relief to Bangladesh, who were 35 for 9.

Pacer Abu Jayed Chowdhury debuted in the Test, and got the chance of bowling before lunch when the West Indies were 9 without loss.