Batsmen rain on Nayeem's parade

If the first day was action-packed, yesterday's second was a blockbuster at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. Bangladesh's debutant off-spinner Nayeem Hasan, 10 days short of his 18th birthday, became the youngest bowler in Test history to take five wickets on debut but the batsman took some of the gloss off the achievement to the point that West Indies, from being on the ropes, are now in a position of parity -- if not ascendancy -- in the second Test.

Much of the credit for producing two enthralling days of Test cricket should go to the wicket as it enabled the spinners to dominate, while also being true enough to allow a gem of a cameo from West Indies' Shimron Hetmyer.

Like on the first day, the last session of the day changed the complexion of the match. While Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan's 56-run ninth-wicket stand wrested the initiative back in the hosts' favour on Thursday, yesterday they surrendered it by losing five wickets for 55 runs after Nayeem's five for 51 had secured a 78-run first innings lead.

West Indies had started the session -- during which nine of the day's 17 fell -- on 187 for six and Dowrich was intent on the attacking mindset that Hetmyer had set before the break. He smoked a six off Mehedi in the second over of the session, but that gain was offset by Nayeem -- bowling with the wiles of a veteran -- in the next over as he beat Devendra Bishoo's attempted sweep and trapped in front with a slightly quicker delivery and got rid of Kemar Roach, also leg-before. From 205 for eight Jomel Warrican helped Dowrich take West Indies to 225 before he was castled by arguably the best delivery of the day. Nayeem looped one up outside the off stump and it spat back through the gate to hit middle stump.

Dowrich then added a four and six off Nayeem's next over before hitting another maximum in the next over by Shakib, which also yielded the wicket of Shannon Gabriel, who was caught at slip to signal the end of West Indies' innings with 246 runs on the board. Dowrich was unbeaten on 63.

Far from driving home the advantage, however, Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes set the tone in the second over of their second innings by driving left-arm spinner Warrican against the turn and losing his stumps. Soumya Sarkar took the cue and played an airy waft to off-spinner Roston Chase in the next over and was caught at slip. First-innings centurion Mominul Haque was not much better -- after hitting Chase for four through midwicket in the seventh over, he played across the line in the last ball of the over to be trapped plumb in front. Skipper Shakib Al Hasan, when he should have been looking to take the side safely to the close in the fading light, slog-swept Warrican off the second ball he faced to be caught at deep square leg. The quintet was completed when Mohammad Mithun, who continues to look out of his depth at number four, played needlessly back to a Bishoo delivery and was bowled off his pads, ending an 18-run stand with Mushfiqur Rahim. Instead of Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehedi came out and along with Mushfiqur took the team to the close without any further damage.

Earlier, Bangladesh's innings lasted just 4.4 overs for the addition of nine runs after lower-order batsmen Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan resumed the day on 315 for eight. It was time enough for Taijul to unfurl a cover drive off Roach that would have made a top-order batsman proud, but Nayeem's staunch resistance ended in the 93rd over, when he pushed at a delivery outside off stump from left-arm spinner Warrican and got an edge that was gobbled up by slip. Last man Mustafizur Rahman lasted just two balls as he was trapped in front, giving Warrican figures of four wickets for 70 runs.

Answering a first-innings score of 324 on a pitch that was already turning square was always going to be difficult for a side not famous for their facility against spin. Kieran Powell was the first to fall in the 11th over when he missed the line of a ball from left-arm spinner Taijul and was trapped leg before.

Shai Hope left in the very next over when skipper Shakib, bowling his first ball back from a finger injury, got the ball to turn sharply from outside the right-hander's leg stump and Hope played a poor shot all around the line of the ball to be bowled.

In the same over, new batsman Sunil Ambris was dropped behind the wicket by Mushfiqur, but Shakib was compensated for that by the wicket of his counterpart Kraigg Brathwaite, who pushed at a dipping delivery and was caught well at slip by Soumya Sarkar. Mustafizur then dropped Roston Chase off Shakib in the over before lunch, the 19th, allowing the visitors to reach the break on 54 for three.

After lunch, Nayeem found his groove immediately after coming in to the attack in the 26th over. He almost had Ambris stumped down the leg side with a big-spinning delivery, but Mushfiqur failed to get the bails off at the first attempt

Nayeem got his maiden Test wicket as he had Chase caught off a forward defence at short leg for 31, leaving his side on 77 for four in the 30th over.

With unsure defence not bearing any fruit, new batsman Hetmyer chose attack instead. In a half-century partnership with Dowrich, Hetmyer hit 63 off 47 balls with five fours and four sixes. On 180 for five in the 46th over, Mehedi produced the ideal ball to draw Hetmyer forward and, although the left-hander did not push at it as his teammates had done, took a healthy edge for Mushfiqur to take a sharp reflex catch. Storm Hetmyer was over and normal service resumed as West Indies went to tea on 187 for six in 50 overs.