Miraz strikes help Tigers assume control for first time in Antigua

Off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz struck twice in quick succession while pacer Khaled Ahmed got the prized wicket of West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite as Bangladesh swayed the momentum towards them for the first time in their first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

Thanks to the three strikes in the afternoon session, West Indies were reduced to 231 for six, still leading by 128 runs, at tea on Day 2 of the game. This is the first time in the Test that Bangladesh ended a session with momentum on their side.

Pacer Khaled started with the most desired scalp of Brathwaite, who missed out on a ton for just six runs. A length delivery from the right-arm pacer kept low and hit the Windies skipper on his pads as Bangladesh fielders appealed vehemently. The umpire did not hesitate and Brathwaite, who knew he was caught plumb in front, decided not to review as the Tigers rejoiced to have been able to sent back the batter who had been an embodiment of patience throughout his marathon 268-ball 94. 

Getting dismissed so close to a ton is, however, nothing new to Brathwaite as the right-hander has now been dismissed in the nineties for the fifth time. His wicket also ended a promising 63-run fourth-wicket stand between him and Jermaine Blackwood. 

Even Blackwood could have joined Brathwaite in the pavilion had the Tigers not made yet another blunder in opting for a review. In the 97th over, Blackwood tried to play across the line and was hit on the pads off a Mehedi Hasan Miraz delivery. A loud appeal followed but the Tigers decided not to go upstairs after their on-field appeal was turned down. But replays showed that had they gone upstairs, Blackwood, on 39, would have been a goner. 

Bangladesh had already wasted two of their reviews on the opening day of the game and that might have played a part in the skipper's mind in not going for the review on that occasion. 

The Tigers somewhat compensated for their mistake when they made an excellent DRS call to get rid of Kyle Mayers. An arm ball from Miraz hit Mayers on his pads and the following appeal was once again turned down by the umpire. But this time, the keeper and the bowler convinced skipper Shakib to go for the review, which revealed that the ball hit the pad first and would have gone on to hit the stumps. 

Meanwhile, Blackwood, who was one of many Windies batters to survive close calls in the Test, went on to bring up his 16th fifty in the format. 

Miraz then struck once again late in the session, this time inducing an edge off the willow of Windies' wicketkeeper batter Joshua Da Silva. Nurul Hasan Sohan made no mistake behind the stumps as he held on to a sharp catch.