Khaled Mashud’s maiden Test century helped Bangladesh earn a creditable draw against the West Indies on the fifth and final day of the first cricket Test on Tuesday.
Mashud hit a stubborn 103 not out, and led the lower order, which boosted Bangladesh from a precarious 94 for six overnight to a spirited 271-9. The tourists then enjoyed the luxury of their first-ever declaration, coming just after tea with the match headed towards a tame draw at Beausejour Stadium.
The West Indies, with an impossible victory target of 336 in 29 overs, made positive strides by scoring an entertaining 113 without loss. Chris Gayle followed his first-innings 141 with an unbeaten 66 to earn the man of the match award. Fellow left-hander Devon Smith, run out for a duck first time around, collected a cool, undefeated 40.
But the day belonged to Mashud and his Bangladeshi mates, who secured only their third draw in 29 Tests since their elevation to Test cricket in 2000. They have yet to win a match but this was their best result yet, as the two previous draws were rain-outs.
”I am very happy with the boys,” captain Habibul Bashar said.
”We have got a lot of positive things from this match to go to Jamaica with.”
West Indies skipper Brian Lara said he was disappointed with the slow nature of the pitch.
”The pitch was very much in favour of the batters, and it was difficult for us to take 20 wickets in the match,” Lara said.
But it could not take away from wicketkeeper Mashud, who stroked 13 boundaries in a 281-ball effort that spanned five-and-a-half hours and frustrated the West Indies’ determined efforts.
His eighth-wicket stand of 56 with Mohammad Rafique (29) and the ninth-wicket partnership of 74 with Tapash Baisya (26) were both Bangladesh records.
Mashud and Rajin Saleh stretched their overnight seventh-wicket stand to 44 an hour into the final day.
Saleh reached his second Test half-century as he was dropped in the slips by Gayle off Pedro Collins, but he perished for 51 to fast bowler Fidel Edwards. The diminutive Saleh hit seven fours in 101 balls before he played back to an inswinger and was plumb leg before.
At 123-7, the home team sensed a swift end to the innings.
But, as in their record first-innings total of 416, Bangladesh refused to be rolled over.
Mashud and first-innings century-maker Rafique lunched at 175-7.
Soon after the break, Rafique was caught behind off leg-spinner Ramnaresh Sarwan and the West Indies were back in a victory hunt at 179-8. Rafique counted two boundaries in 29 off 70 deliveries.
Mashud was only 42 at the fall of the eighth wicket.
But new-ball bowlers Tapash Baisya and Tareq Aziz Khan, as they had done with Rafique in the first innings, helped usher their senior partner to his landmark score and ensure a draw.
Baisya added 74 for the ninth wicket, and spent 75 balls and nearly two hours in compiling a solid 26.
When he tapped a return catch to off-spinner Gayle on the stroke of tea, Mashud was 13 away from his century.
Khan resumed after the break and quickly gave his partner confidence with a solid defence in surviving 21 balls.
Mashud duly completed a century with a cover-driven four off Gayle that brought about the declaration. It was notably the third Bangladesh century of the match — the team arrived with only five previous Test hundreds.
Gayle and Smith launched a volley of strokes as the West Indies enjoyed the last hour-and-a-half on a true pitch.
Gayle smacked 10 boundaries off 69 balls while Smith counted five in 72 deliveries.
The second and final Test in the Cable & Wireless series begins at Sabina Park, Kingston on Friday. — Sapa-AP