Warrican three-for helps Windies contain Bangladesh to 242-5 on Day 1 in Chattogram Test

The West Indies kept Bangladesh batsmen in check on a track that offered little for the bowlers as the hosts reached 242 for five on the opening day of Chattogram Test.

Jomel Warrican (3-58) was the tormentor-in-chief for the hosts after they chose to bat at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Wednesday.

Opener Shadman Islam (59) anchored the Bangladesh innings for nearly two sessions with his second Test half-century before being trapped in front by a fuller delivery from Warrican with tea looming.

Warrican also took out the Tigers’ skipper Mominul Haque (26), aided by a sharp effort by John Campbell in short midwicket.

The Caribbean left-arm orthodox reduced Bangladesh to 193 for five with the key wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim, who was looking good before walking back for 38.

Shakib Al Hasan (39) and Liton Das (34) remained unbeaten to safely see the slow day through.

Mominul Haque’s men were teetering at 140 for four at tea before adding another 102 runs in the final session at the expense of Mushfiqur’s wicket.

Caribbean pacers Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel were wayward at the outset of the innings, bowling too full early on to allow openers Shadman and Tamim to open their accounts with boundaries.

Little assistance from the pitch for the bowlers forced the West Indies to remain conservative in field placement. But Tamim Iqbal (9) could not take advantage of the conditions as Roach went through his gates angling in from round the wicket.

In at three, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, too, scored his first runs with a boundary, added 43 with Shadman before being calamitously run out for 25.

Kraigg Brathwaite’s men made further inroads in the second session as Warrican sent Mominul (26) and Shadman packing in a slow passage of play as the bowlers tightened up their line and length after lunch.

Shadman, who cracked six boundaries in his measured innings, perished in the penultimate over before tea.

Lack of intent to rotate the strike soon dried up the runs for the hosts as the batsmen looked to play it safe even with the field spread out and scoring opportunities went begging.

Two of the Tigers’ most experienced pairs, Mushfiqur and Shakib then made positive strides to turn the tide to their favour in the final session. The duo hit four boundaries between them and rotated the strike whenever opportunity rose in their 59-run fifth-wicket effort.

Mushfiqur was bold in his usual style, moving about in the crease to produce his desired length and freed his arms with sweeps before edging Warrican to the first slip for a low catch with a defensive shot.

Liton received a reprieve on two when debutant Nkrumah Bonner failed to latch on to a sharp catch. The tourists opted for the new ball straightaway, but the Tigers batsmen took full advantage by scoring 40 runs in the last 10 overs.