West Indies thump Bangladesh

After two days and a session of mediocrity, the Bangladesh cricket team succumbed to an innings and 219-run defeat in the first Test against West Indies in Antigua yesterday. Rookie wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan scored 64 on the third morning, but it could not avert a capitulation of 144 all out shortly before lunch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

The Tigers were bowled out for 144, 101 runs more than their first innings effort, with West Indies pacer Shannon Gabriel taking five wickets for 77 runs to follow Kemar Roach's five for eight in the first innings that condemned Bangladesh to their lowest ever Test score of 43. Bangladesh's match aggregate of 187 is the lowest in their history, beating the 226 they scored over two innings against West Indies in 2002.

The Test started on Wednesday with Bangladesh being shot out for their lowest Test score in the first session, and the Tigers then spent a day and a half chasing leather as West Indies – riding on opener Kraigg Brathwaite's 121 -- scored 406. In the second evening, with less than a session to bat out, Bangladesh crumbled to 62 for six.

Mahmudullah Riyad, resuming on 15, departed off the first ball of the day when he edged West Indies skipper Jason Holder to slip. Nurul resumed on seven and unlike his teammates was positive in his movement as he went after a slightly more undisciplined West Indies bowling than had hounded Bangladesh on the first day.

But he was just delaying the inevitable and was ninth out when he was caught and bowled by Miguel Cummins with the score on 143. One run later it was all over as Bangladesh slumped to their eighth-biggest innings defeat.

The second Test starts on July 12 in Jamaica.