GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – Left-hander Kyle Mayers struck a high quality unbeaten hundred as West Indies bounced back from a pre-lunch wobble to dominate yesterday’s second day of the second Test against Bangladesh.
The 29-year-old grabbed the headlines with 126 not out, a knock which powered West Indies to 340 for five at the close – a lead of 106 heading into day three of the contest at the Daren Sammy National Stadium.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite chipped in with 51, his opening partner John Campbell added 45 while vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood carved out 40 and Joshua Da Silva, an unbeaten 26 in support of Mayers in the final session when West Indies lost only one wicket.
The innings appeared to be taking a different complexion when West Indies lost three wickets for one run in the space of 12 balls in the last 20 minutes before lunch, to decline to 134 for four.
But Mayers put on 116 with Blackwood for the fifth wicket before adding a further 92 in an unbroken sixth wicket stand with Da Silva, to dig West Indies out of a hole and put their noses in front.
Mayers has so far faced 180 deliveries in just over four hours and belted 15 fours and two sixes – the second of which raised his hundred about 45 minutes before the close.
The knock marked the first time in 15 months the Barbadian passed fifty, after launching his Test career with a magnificent unbeaten 210, also against Bangladesh in Chattogram last year February.
“I feel good. It’s been a while since I raised my bat in Test cricket,” Mayers said afterwards.
“Me and my teammates were speaking about it before this series and I told them I needed to get some runs.
“After coming from the Netherlands and scoring my first ODI hundred, my confidence was up and I told them this series I was looking forward to getting some runs.”
Resuming the morning on 67 without loss, still 167 runs in arrears, West Indies made a confident start as Brathwaite and Campbell stretched their opening stand to 100.
Brathwaite, on 30 at the start, faced 107 balls and counted seven fours while Campbell, on 32 overnight, struck half-dozen fours in a 79-ball knock.
The left-handed Jamaican perished with the hour mark approaching, gloving a pull at seamer Shoriful Islam through to the ’keeper and Brathwaite and Raymon Reifer (22) put on a further 31 for the second wicket which seemed to be taking the hosts to lunch safely, before chaos erupted.
Brathwaite played down the wrong line to off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz (2-68) and was bowled and pacer Khaled Ahmed (2-77) got both Reifer and Nkrumah Bonner (0) to play on in the next over, in a damaging blow to the innings.
In desperate need of a rebuilding effort at the interval, West Indies were lifted by Mayers and Blackwood, the pair keeping Bangladesh wicketless for the entirety of the second session, and pushing the score up to 248 for four at tea.
Mayers reached his half-century, 15 minutes before tea with an aerial cut to backward point to be unbeaten on 60 at the second break while Blackwood, once again using a measured approach, was not out on 40.
Blackwood fell in the second over following the resumption without adding, however, missing a pull at Mehidy and adjudged lbw after facing 121 balls and lashing half-dozen fours, but that was Bangladesh’s last sniff of success as Mayers dominated the final session.
Suppressed for the first 15 overs after tea in a period when West Indies failed to hit a single boundary courtesy of tight spells from Mehidy and left-arm spinning captain Shakib-al-Hasan, Mayers found his mojo once the second new ball was taken.
Two boundaries in one over off Khaled took him into the 80s and he reached his hundred in style, moving to 97 with a glorious cover drive off Shoriful before whipping the next ball over square leg for six.
