Mominul Haque's tenth Test hundred helped Bangladesh set a daunting 395-run target against West Indies on the fourth afternoon of the first Test in Chattogram. The Bangladesh captain now has seven hundreds in 19 innings at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, most by a player from his country at one venue.
During the course of his innings, Haque also went past 3000 Test runs and overtook Tamim Iqbal as the leading century-maker for Bangladesh in the format. Along with Liton Das, who struck 69, he added 133 for the fifth wicket in the only century-stand of the Test so far.
Their stand was broken when the duo looked for quick runs with an eye on the declaration. Das was caught at backward point while going for a reverse sweep against Jomel Warrican. Haque, meanwhile, holed out to deep square leg off Shannon Gabriel. Warrican picked up two more wickets, of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam, before Bangladesh declared for 223 for 8.
With a rough developing outside the right-hander's off stump, it will not be an easy task for West Indies to survive four-and-a-bit sessions.
In the morning, Haque looked much more comfortable than yesterday when he had come in at 1 for 2, having been peppered by the short stuff from Shannon Gabriel on the third evening. That, in part, also had to do with the pitch slowing down further and offering very little for fast bowlers.
Gabriel, too, realised that. While 86% of his deliveries were short last evening, he tried to mix it up today. In the first over of the day, after pushing Haque on the back foot, he bowled one full. The batsman, though, was up to it and found the boundary with a perfect on-drive. Later, when Kemar Roach tried a short ball, Haque ramped him over the vacant slip area for another four.
In general, though, both Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim preferred playing percentage cricket, dealing mostly in ones and two. Given the time left in the match, there was no need to take undue risks but one reason behind that could be Shakib Al Hasan might not be available to bat, having hurt his left thigh during West Indies' first innings.
Rahkeem Cornwall eventually broke the 40-run stand when he trapped Rahim lbw for 18. The batsman tried to cut a ball that was too full and too close to the stumps and got rapped on the pad. The umpires allowed the review even though it seemed the batsman was late to opt for it. A potential controversy, however, was avoided when replays found Rahim out.
One baffling thing on the part of West Indies was their reluctance to turn to Jomel Warrican, especially when he was their go-to and most successful bowler in the first innings. When he was finally brought on, just before the drinks break, he immediately found turn from the surface. His fifth ball of the day pitched outside Das' leg stump and spun past to beat the outside edge and brush the back thigh on its way to Cornwall at first slip. Soon after he drew an outside edge of Das' bat but this time the ball fell short of Cornwall.
Seeing Warrican getting help, Kraigg Brathwaite deployed legspinner Nkrumah Bonner from the other end but he lacked control, and Haque took him for two fours in his first over. He then collected another four off Warrican and took his side to a commanding position along with Das.
Source: ESPNcricinfo