Hridoy scores again as Sylhet Test ends in draw
West Indies won the two-match series 1-0, having taken the lead in the opening fixture in Dhaka
499 balls, or 83.1 overs - that's the staggering number of deliveries that Towhid Hridoy faced in second Test between Bangladesh and West Indies in Sylhet which ended in a draw on Day 5.
West Indies declared after a brief stint in the morning session, setting Bangladesh a target of 369 runs. The home side didn't get close to it, but also batted out the 59 overs that were possible before bad light stopped play.
West Indies resumed with an overnight total of 345/3, their sights set on piling on to their already big lead. Kavem Hodge however, couldn't take a leaf out of Hridoy's first-innings copybook and added just two runs to his 140 before being dismissed by Nayeem Hasan. Bangladesh picked two more wickets before West Indies chose to declare, exactly 10 overs into the final day's play.
The home side was set an improbable target for what remained in the day. West Indies then had their hopes raised when Jomel Warrican used the new ball well to dismiss both openers Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain. The hosts were pushed to 40/2 when Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim came together.
They saw their side through to Lunch which came soon after the start of their alliance and then proceeded to bat through the middle session. They added 113 runs in 34 overs till Tea as West Indies once again found it hard to break Hridoy's resolve. He followed his exceptional first-innings knock of 242* with a stoic second-innings 82 to help push back against West Indies.
Six overs into the final session, Warrican struck for the third time, cleaning up Hridoy while Shamar Joseph knocked back Rahim's stumps, dismissing him one short of a half-century. Litton Das then arrived and shut shop, batting out 29 balls for his 7 and had Mehidy for company.
The duo had to bat together for just 14 deliveries when bad light forced the players indoors. The umpires made a couple of checks but no further play was possible, leaving the teams to shake hands and take a draw. By the virtue of this result, West Indies clinched a 1-0 series victory after having won the series opener in Dhaka.
Brief scores: West Indies 356 & 398/6 decl. (Kavem Hodge 142*, Kevin Wickham 78, Brandon King 61; Nayeem Hasan 2-72, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 2-85, Taijul Islam 2-118) vs Bangladesh 386 & 184/4 (Towhid Hridoy 82, Mushfiqur Rahim 49). Match Drawn.
