Bangladesh enforce follow-on for the first time

The possibility arose on Saturday and materialised Sunday morning.

The West Indies were bowled over by the spin of Mehidy Hasan Miraz. After cutting off the visitors for 111, Bangladesh got to enjoy the taste of enforcing a follow-on for the first time in their Test cricket history.

The West Indies were bundled off in less than an hour on Sunday morning. Bangladesh had a 397-run lead heading into the West Indies’s second innings.

The Windies took on an ignominious record today, scoring the lowest number of runs against Bangladesh in a Test innings. The record (114) had previously been set by Zimbabwe in 2014.

Bangladesh has enjoyed a 200-run lead only once in Tests. They had a lead of 218 runs against Zimbabwe in Mirpur during the last series the Tigers had played. But Bangladesh did not enforce the follow-on at that time.

Miraz was a force of destruction in the first innings, taking 7 wickets for 58 runs. This was Bangladesh’s third-best bowling performance in Test cricket, but the first time a Bangladeshi off-spinner had taken seven wickets.

However, the day had started inauspiciously for Miraz. He was hit for a 6 by Shimron Hetmyer off his first delivery. But Miraz had the last laugh, sending the dangerous Hetmyer back to the pavilion for 39 and 93 in the two innings.

That was just the start. He got the scalp of Devendra Bishoo the very next over. And then Kemar Roach the over after that.

Shane Dowrich managed to take the Windies past 100, but not too much further. He became Miraz’s seventh victim.

Bangladesh went on to win the Dhaka Test by an innings and 184 runs. Miraz took another five wickets in the second innings.