CHITTAGONG, CMC:
THE WEST Indies secured a healthy first innings advantage but a steady opening stand kept Bangladesh competitive on the second day of the second and final Test match at the MA Aziz Stadium yesterday.
Little-rated Bangladesh, trailing by 102 runs on first innings, were a steady 40 without loss in their second innings with Al Sahariar not out on 21, and Hannan Sarkar on 12.
Against Tapash Baisya's career-best four-wicket haul, the West Indies had rallied from early trouble to push their first innings score to 296 in response to Bangladesh's 194, and the home side have narrowed the deficit to 62 runs entering Wednesday's third day.
The West Indies, holding an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the two-match series, resumed at 38 for one overnight and tripped frequently as the home side dominated the morning session with four wickets.
Ramnaresh Sarwan (17) was first to go, adding just three to his overnight score before he was caught behind off pacer Manjural Islam at 53 for two.
The 17-year-old pacer Talha Jubair claimed the first off his two wickets when he bowled Chris Gayle for 38, the tall left-hander playing no shot to a delivery that cut back into his off-stump, and the Windies staggered to 99 for four when Shivnarine Chanderpaul (16) was caught behind - playing at a wide leg-side delivery -- off left-arm spinner Enamul Haque.
Marlon Samuels struck four fours and classy straight six off Haque in an attacking 31 off 36 balls before Jubair dislodged him just before the break.
The elegant right-hander was caught by Sahariar at second slip, edging an attempted pull off the young pacer.
But captain Ridley Jacobs (59) and Daren Ganga (63), who had linked up when Samuels departed at 127 for five, struck important half centuries for the touring team to regain control.
They took the score to 149 for five at the lunch break and added 99 runs for the sixth-wicket in establishing a clear first innings advantage for the West Indies.
Ganga struck 10 boundaries in a fluent knock before he struck a lofted drive against off-spinner Sanwar Hossain to Baisya at deep mid-wicket.
Jacobs, leading the West Indies team in the absence of the injured Carl Hooper, played solidly hitting six fours and two sixes and directed a fruitful post-lunch session of 108 runs for the loss of Ganga's wicket.
His innings ended just after tea caught behind off Baisya at 264 for seven and the West Indies lower order showed little resistance.
Vasbert Drakes was run out for 26 failing to beat Mohammad Ashraful's direct hit as he attempted a sharp single, and the 19-year-old Baisya wrapped up the tail when he bowled Darren Powell (1) off the inside edge, and had Jermaine Lawson (6) caught by Habibul Bashar running back at slip as the number 11 batsmen edged an attempted pull shot.
Pedro Collins was not out on 12 at the end.
Baisya snared four for 72 off 21.3 overs, while Jubair ended with two for 58 off 20 overs, and there was a wicket each for Hossain (1-29), Manjural Islam (1-34), and Enamul Haque (1-62).
Bangladesh, winless - with 15 losses -- in their previous 16 test matches, then fended off the West Indies pace attack in 12 overs before the close in a desperate bid to avoid a repeat of their humiliating innings defeat in the first test in Dhaka.
