Brandon King slammed an unbeaten 81 as West Indies overcame Bangladesh with an impressive eight-wicket win in the first Test in Dhaka on Saturday. Chasing a target of 170, West Indies made light work of the task, completing the chase comfortably to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Brandon King remained the defiant force, leading West Indies’ chase with an unbeaten knock of 81 from 115 deliveries.
John Campbell made a great contribution of 49 runs, while Kavem Hodge slammed 31 unbeaten. Earlier, Bangladesh, deciding to bat, were bowled out for 272 in their first innings. They had a good start, but West Indies kept chipping in with the new ball. Shadman Islam, however, directed the innings superbly, scoring an unbeaten 99 off 219 balls, while Mominul Haque scored 28 and Najmul Hossain Shanto 19 to keep the side in a good position.
West Indies, on the other hand, amassed 245. But the things took a different turn for Bangladesh when they could only get 142 runs in their second innings, setting West Indies a target of 170 for victory.
For Bangladesh, the defeat will be a major disappointment because it has come on their home turf, making the second game highly crucial. But, for West Indies, the victory has given them hope of winning the series. More importantly, West Indies spinner thrived in the first game and made a tremendous contribution, taking 16 wickets across the match.