SYLHET, Bangladesh, CMC – Purposeful bowling from Kevin Sinclair failed to slow down hosts Bangladesh “A” on Thursday, and they built on three half-centuries to take a 166-run lead into the final day of the second “Test” against West Indies “A.”
The Guyana Harpy Eagles off-spinner led the bowling for the Caribbean side with three for 76 from 23 overs. Still, opener Shadman Islam hit 74, wicketkeeper-batsman Irfan Sukkur supported with 64 not out, and Shahadat Hossain made 64. The Bangladeshis ended the third day at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on 274 for six in their second innings.
This unfolded after the visitors were bowled out before lunch for 345 in their first innings to gain a lead of 108, with pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib striking in successive overs to mop up the remaining wickets and end with four for 59 from 19.1 overs.
West Indies “A” captain Joshua Da Silva was not out on 47, and Sinclair made 32 before he was one of Tanzim’s victims in a destructive spell in which the Caribbean side lost their last four wickets for 16 in the span of 36 balls.
The visitors failed to get a wicket in three overs before Bangladesh “A” reached seven without loss at lunch, but they began to make headway after the interval, and the home team was 118 for three at tea.
Left-arm pacer Raymon Reifer struck in the first half-hour after lunch when he got opener Zakir Hasan caught behind for 13, and there was a further success before the afternoon refreshment break when first innings bowling hero Akeem Jordan got Saif Hassan caught at gully for 16.
West Indies “A” met a roadblock when Mohammad Naim came to the crease and spent about an hour with Shadman, putting on 51 for the third wicket before he was bowled for 28, playing on a delivery from Sinclair in the final 10 minutes before tea.
After the break, the Caribbean side faced more resistance from the hosts when Shadman, whose three-hour innings included ten fours from 127 balls, came together with Shahadat and shared 68 for the fourth wicket to enable the Bangladeshis to formally past the deficit before he was lbw to Jordan.
Sinclair, bowling around the wicket, followed up with the scalp of opposing captain Afif Hossain caught at slip for four, and he later got an lbw decision against Shahadat, whose 110-minute stay included seven fours from 68 balls, and the home team was 209 for six.
In the final hour, West Indies “A” came up against a rampant Irfan, and he smashed 11 fours from 85 balls to extend Bangladesh “A” lead and dominate an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 65 with Nayeem Hasan, not out on 14.
Earlier, West Indies “A” resumed from their overnight total of 268 for six, and Sinclair and Da Silva comfortably carried them past the 300 mark in a stand of 63 for the seventh wicket.
But once Sinclair was bowled, playing defensively forward to a delivery from Tanzim that moved away late, the rest of the batting crumbled.
Jordan drove loosely at Tanzim and was caught at second slip for two, Anderson Phillip was bowled for four when he lost his leg-stump to the pacer, and Jair McAllister was caught at mid-on for a two-ball duck to bring the innings to a close.
The three-match series between the two sides is level 0-0 after the first “Test” ended in a draw last Friday at the same venue.
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