Agency :
The West Indies suffered a double blow as both Mikyle Louis and Alick Athanaze fell short of their centuries, giving Bangladesh a glimmer of hope on the second day of the opening Test in Antigua.
The hosts posted 250 for 5 at day one stumps as Joshua Da Silva (14) and Justin Greaves (11) will continue tomorrow.
Opener Louis, who looked set to reach his first Test hundred, was dismissed for 97. After surviving a tough chance on 90 off stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, the opener seemed to be under pressure.
Attempting to clear the boundary for his century, Louis charged down the track against Miraz but mistimed his shot. The ball took the edge of his bat and was safely pouched by Shahadat Hossain at slip.
Louis’s valiant knock of 97 came off 218 balls, featuring one six and nine fours. His innings, the highest of his career so far, surpassed his previous best of 57. His dismissal ended a marathon 140-run stand off 221 balls with Alick Athanaze, leaving the West Indies at 226-4 after 75 overs.
Just four runs later, the West Indies suffered another major setback when Athanaze was dismissed for 90. Attempting to scoop Taijul Islam’s delivery outside off stump, Athanaze’s shot lacked pace and went high off the bat, offering a straightforward catch to Litton Das.
Athanaze’s 90 came off 130 balls, with 10 fours and one six.
