West Indies eye rare away Test series win versus Bangladesh
What's the story
The second Test match between Bangladesh and West Indies is all set to take place in Sylhet. After an eight-wicket defeat in the first Test in Dhaka, Bangladesh will be looking to level the series. Meanwhile, West Indies are eyeing a rare away series win after their first Test victory. The match is set to start on November 5 from 9:30am IST onward.
Series strategy
West Indies look to seal the series against Bangladesh
West Indies will look to seal the series against Bangladesh in Sylhet, capping off an unbeaten year.
They have drawn one (against Pakistan) and won another (against Sri Lanka) at home this year.
Head coach Daren Sammy expressed pride in his team's performance, especially their bowling attack that outperformed Bangladesh on their home turf in Dhaka.
Batting concerns
Bangladesh need to bounce back in Sylhet
Bangladesh will be hoping for a better showing from their batters after a disappointing performance in Dhaka.
Shadman Islam scored his third Test century, but the rest of the team failed to capitalize on it.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who has two centuries in Sylhet, will be key to Bangladesh's recovery after scoring just 19 and 10 in the first Test.
Player spotlight
Players to watch out for
Shadman will have to back up his century with another strong performance. He has played well against West Indies in the past, especially their fast bowlers.
On the other hand, Jomel Warrican was instrumental in West Indies's win in Dhaka with a match haul of 9/114.
His ability to vary pace could be crucial on Sylhet's bouncy pitch.
Squad updates
Taijul likely to miss out
Coach Phil Simmons has hinted that spinner Taijul Islam might not be in the XI for Sylhet.
Mushfiqur Rahim will return and take Mominul Haque's place in the starting XI after the latter was ruled out of the first Test following a concussion.
There could be a toss-up between Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain for the third seamer's spot.
Match conditions
Pitch and conditions
The Sylhet pitch is known for its bounce and pace, which could help both batters and fast bowlers.
The weather during this time of year in Sylhet is mostly dry.
Bangladesh haven't won a match since their Test win against Australia in Darwin in August.
Simmons was the West Indies head coach when they last won a Test series 2-0 at home in 2022; he is now the Bangladesh head coach.
Probable XIs
A look at the probable XIs
BAN probable XI: Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed/Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam.
WI probable XI: John Campbell, Brandon King, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo (wk), Roston Chase (captain), Kemar Roach/Joshua Bishop, Shamar Joseph, Jomel Warrican, Jayden Seales.
Information
H2H record between BAN and WI
In 23 matches, West Indies have claimed 16 wins compared to Bangladesh's 5. Meanwhile, 2 matches have been drawn. In Bangladesh, across 11 meetings, West Indies have won 8 compared to Bangladesh's 2 (D1).
Players
Player focus: Here are the stats
Roston Chase owns 2,851 runs for the Windies from 62 matches at 26.39. He has six hundreds and 12 fifties.
In the first match of the series, Chase went past 100 scalps as well. He owns 101 wickets at 47.65.
Mushfiqur is closing in on 7,000 runs for Bangladesh. From 106 matches (195 innings), he has scored 6,957 runs at 39.08.
He has 14 tons and 30 fifties.
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