Powell Hits Ton Before Bangladesh Fightback

Powell Hits Ton Before Bangladesh Fightback

Kieran Powell became the second West Indian opener to hit to centuries in the same Test match.

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West Indies 527-4d & 244-6 (Powell 110) v
Bangladesh 556 (Nasir 96, Mahmudullah 62)
First Test, Mirpur, Day Four
Scorecard | Day One | Day Two | Day Three
Report by Daniel Grummitt

The first Test between West Indies and Bangladesh is intriguingly poised at the close of the fourth day after the visitors collapsed from 209 for one to 244 for six in their second innings to lead by just 215 runs going into the final day.

Nasir Hossain had earlier fallen four short of his maiden Test century, while Kieran Powell became the first West Indian opener since Gordon Greenidge to make a hundred in each innings of a Test match.

Latest odds: the draw remains the favourite at 1/2 with bet365 but West Indies are 7/2 to win with Bangladesh available at 5/1.

West Indies had again lost Chris Gayle relatively early on in their second innings after conceding a slender first innings lead by dismissing the hosts for 556. However, Powell and Darren Bravo were largely untroubled during their second-wicket stand of 189.

Powell was put down twice in the 16th over off Shahadat Hossain when he had scored just 17, but, other than that, the pair batted with cautious abandon.

Both used their feet against the spinners and were particularly severe on Shakib Al Hasan, who would later have his revenge. Rubel Hossain was struck for three fours in the 50th over as Powell became the ninth West Indian batsman to hit twin centuries in a Test match.

As they motored along, the only question that remained was when West Indies would declare on the final day to give their bowlers a shot at bundling Bangladesh out in the fourth innings. That thinking, though, all changed in the space of less than an hour.

Bravo was first to go, flashing a cut shot through to Mushfiqur Rahim to depart for 76. Then followed a clatter of wickets as, in all, five fell for just 35 runs. Marlon Samuels fended Sohag Gazi to Shahriar Nafees at short-leg, Powell edged through to Rahim off Shakib, Denesh Ramdin was trapped in front off the same bowler and Veerasammy Permaul, sent in ahead of the unwell Shivnarine Chandepaul, was bowled by Sohag off the final ball of the day.

West Indies, from a position of strength, now face an anxious final day, with much depending on the fitness of Chanderpaul, and then the ability of their bowlers to trouble Bangladesh in a way they couldn't in the first innings.

Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah had taken their overnight seventh-wicket partnership to 121 before the latter departed to Sunil Narine for 62. Nasir then found support from Shahadat Hossain and the two added 61 for the ninth-wicket. Nasir was caught off Tino Best for 96, while Narine finished with three wickets to make up for a disappointing day three performance.

© Cricket World 2012