NORTH SOUND, Antigua — On the third day of the first test match, Bangladesh managed to avoid the follow-on but found themselves trailing by 181 runs against the West Indies, with just one wicket left at the day’s end. As play was halted due to poor light at 5:14 p.m. local time, Bangladesh’s score stood at 269-9 in response to the West Indies’ declared first-innings total of 450-9.

Taskin Ahmed was unbeaten on 11, while Shoriful Islam contributed 5 when the umpires determined that the light only allowed for limited visibility. The final pair faced some aggressive bowling from Alzarri Joseph during the closing overs, exchanging heated remarks as Joseph targeted Taskin. Joseph concluded the day with impressive figures of 3-69 after delivering 25 overs. Justin Greaves not only scored his maiden century in the West Indies’ innings but also achieved his career-best bowling figures of 2-34, with Jayden Seales finishing with figures of 2-42.

Reflecting on the day’s play, Joseph mentioned, “I think (the pitch) was a bit slow today, but we bowled well as a unit.” He expressed confidence heading into the next day, noting their solid lead and emphasizing the objective to dismiss the final wicket quickly to extend their score. Mominul Haque and Jaker Ali were key contributors to Bangladesh’s innings, both achieving half-centuries which proved vital for preserving the team’s score.

Mominul, batting at No. 3, crafted a determined 50 runs from 116 balls. He formed partnerships of 45 runs with Shahadat Hossain (18) and 62 runs with Litton Das (40) before his dismissal on the next ball, marking his 21st half-century in tests. Meanwhile, Jaker, batting at No. 7, reached his second half-century in two tests, completing his 53 runs off 85 balls and helping Bangladesh reach the critical 250-mark before departing with the total at 246-8.

Taskin and Hasan Mahmud played crucial roles in helping Bangladesh surpass the follow-on target, reaching this milestone after eight wickets had fallen in the 93rd over. Shoriful then joined Taskin for the remainder of the day, ensuring they still stood at the crease as play ended.

Throughout the day, the Bangladeshi team displayed a cautious approach, only managing sporadic bursts of scoring. A noteworthy acceleration occurred at the start of the second session and later from Taijul Islam (25) after the second new ball was taken with the score at 196-6 following 80 overs. Starting the day at 40-2, they reached 50 runs after 26 overs, later adding 65 runs for the loss of one wicket in the first session and 60 runs with the downfall of two wickets in the second.

At various points, the West Indies exerted pressure on the Bangladeshi batters, successfully keeping the run rate low. Notably, between the 51st and 61st overs, Bangladesh managed to score only 10 runs while losing Litton’s wicket. The West Indies maintained impressive discipline throughout the day, which spanned 78 overs during which seven wickets fell.