Dhaka, Bangladesh — West Indies batsmen stood up to the test in the second Test match against Bangladesh and they have been lauded for their superb efforts in the middle on what is a good batting surface at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Speaking on Tuesday, after the fourth day of the match, Head Coach Ottis Gibson gave a "thumbs up" to the batting unit who led the way as the Windies posted 355 in the first innings and 383-5 declared in the second innings.
The West Indies have so far controlled the match and with a minimum of 90 overs left on the final day need another seven wickets to win and take the two-match series. Bangladesh will resume Wednesday morning at 164-3, some distance away from the victory target of 508.
"We did our homework on how to play their spin and it’s good to see it pay off. Before we came here to Bangladesh we knew that spin would play a huge part in their attack so we knew the key areas where we had to put in the extra work," Gibson said.
"It was great to see Darren Bravo making his first Test century and then carrying on to get a big hundred. He played really well and showcased his ability. Kirk Edwards also played very well in this match and Shivnarine Chanderpaul showed us today what he is capable of and these are very pleasing signs.
"Marlon Samuels has been in good batting form for us throughout the tour and has been hitting the ball very well. In the first innings the young openers gave us a good start. We always speak of building big partnerships for the team and in this match we got some excellent partnerships in both innings."
On Tuesday the left-handed Bravo converted his maiden international century in a memorable 195. He faced 297 balls in seven hours at the crease and hit 12 boundaries and five sixes. The 22-year-old more than doubled his previous highest Test score of 80 and also surpassed his previous highest first-class score of 111.
Edwards, in just his third Test match, made his second century – 121 in the first innings – followed by 86 in the second innings. Chanderpaul increased the tempo in the second innings and ended on 59 not out – his 56th half-century in Test cricket and 100th in all first-class cricket.
In the first innings openers Kraigg Brathwaite, 18, and Kieran Powell, 21, both reached 50 for the first time in Test cricket as they posted a century opening stand. In the second innings Edwards and Bravo put on 151 for the third wicket, while Chanderpaul and Bravo added 143 for the fifth wicket off 30 overs.
Looking ahead to Wednesday’s play, Gibson backed his team to come away with a victory but said it will require more hard work and discipline.
"It’s nice to be in control of a Test match after so many games of trying. We are in a good positive with one day left. We know Tamim (Iqbal) is still in the crease and he is a quality player, so we are mindful of that. We have set them a record target of 508. We are also mindful that this is still a very good wicket to bat on, so we have to work hard for our wickets.
"We need to get seven wickets to win and the wicket is still playing well, although we found it difficult to score in the morning. You don’t come over to a place like this and expect to blast through the opposition. The Bangladeshi batsmen were a bit reckless in the first innings but you don’t expect them to do that twice."