“We lost the lead, but we were still determined to fight back and try to win the game, and that’s what we did.”

MIRPUR: Brandon King scored a career-best unbeaten 81 as West Indies defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets in the first Test on Saturday, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

King struck 10 fours and a six during his 115-ball innings as West Indies chased down a target of 170 in 35.1 overs on the fourth day in Mirpur. Bangladesh had been dismissed for 142 in their second innings.

Jomel Warrican, named player of the match, took four wickets for 63 runs after claiming a five-wicket haul in Bangladesh’s first innings.

West Indies captain Roston Chase also delivered a strong performance, taking five wickets for 36 runs in the second innings. It was his fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

Warrican and Chase Restrict Bangladesh

Bangladesh resumed the fourth day at 79-6, holding a lead of 106 runs, but their hopes of setting a challenging target suffered an early setback.

Jaker Ali edged Warrican to slip, where Chase took the catch. Jaker scored 22 off 34 balls and was Bangladesh’s second-highest scorer in the innings.

Nayeem Hasan survived two dropped catches off Chase, on 21 and 29, to keep the innings going.

He added 26 runs with Hasan Mahmud before Warrican trapped the latter leg-before for eight. Taijul Islam contributed eight during a 17-run partnership with Nayeem before Chase dismissed him, leaving Bangladesh at 127-9.

Nayeem went on to score his maiden Test half-century, reaching the milestone off 87 balls with four boundaries. However, his resistance ended when he attempted to hit Chase over long-on and was caught by Joshua Bishop.

He made 52 off 91 deliveries, while Shoriful Islam remained unbeaten on seven as Bangladesh were bowled out in 48.4 overs.

King and Campbell Complete the Chase

West Indies began their chase confidently, with King and John Campbell putting together an aggressive opening partnership of 64 without loss in 14.1 overs before rain interrupted play.

After a delay of around an hour, the visitors added another 23 runs before bad light and lightning forced a further stoppage of 45 minutes.

King was dropped on 70 by substitute fielder Ebadot Hossain off Taijul Islam after play resumed, but the opener capitalised on the opportunity to guide his side towards victory.

Campbell fell just short of a half-century, bowled by Shoriful Islam for 49 off 55 balls, including six fours and a six.

Chase Targets Series Victory

Chase said West Indies were determined to win the series and improve their position in the rankings despite losing their advantage in the first innings.

“The guys were determined, even though we didn’t have a good start in the first innings,” he said.

“We lost the lead, but we were still determined to fight back and try to win the game, and that’s what we did.”

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto acknowledged that his side had failed to execute its plans.

“All three departments didn’t do well, especially in the field. These things can happen sometimes, but I believe the intention and preparation were quite good,” he said.

He added that the team needed to review its performance and identify areas for improvement in similar conditions.

The second Test between the sides will be played in Sylhet from November 5.