Bangladeshi batsmen engage the West Indies in combat
Bad light caused the third day of the first Test match against the West Indies in Antigua to conclude early on Sunday, but Bangladesh managed to save the follow-on thanks to some tenacious batting.
The Bangladeshi batters fought their way to 269 for nine, exceeding the follow-on threshold but still trailing by 181 runs after the West Indies declared 450 for nine at the start of the day.
Mominul Haque and Litton Das persisted in adding 62 for the fourth wicket after Shahadat Hossain was removed by Kemar Roach for 18 in the morning.
Mominul reached his fifty from 115 balls before his leg went out before the next delivery he faced from Jayden Seales. Das reached 40 before he switched to Shamar Joseph.
When 23-year-old Mehidy Hasan Miraz guarded Alzarri Joseph to short-leg, Bangladesh was in serious danger of catching up.
Taijul Islam and Jaker Ali steadied the ship by adding 68 for the seventh wicket before Jaker, who hit a half-century against South Africa in his only other Test encounter in October, achieved his second half-century.
Soon after, he was bowled out for 53 by Justin Greaves, whose unbroken 115 was the high point of the West Indies' first innings. Alzarri Joseph came back to complete the day as the most successful bowler in the West Indies with 3-69 after dismissing Taijul for 25.
Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud helped them get over the follow-on, but Bangladesh will struggle to win this first Test of the two-Test series.
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