Brilliant Shakib takes match into final day

Bangladesh all-rounder shines with bat, ball but WI look to seal series.

KHULNA:

Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakibal Hasan followed his four wickets with a fighting 97 to delay West Indies’ likely win in the second and final Test in Khulna yesterday.

The 25-year-old left-hander missed his third Test hundred but carried the home team from a precarious 82 for five to 262 for six at close on the fourth day, still needing 35 to avoid an innings-defeat. Shakib fell off the first ball of the penultimate over of the day, miscuing a lofted shot off left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and was caught simply at mid-off by Tino Best who said that Shakib’s wicket turned the match in his team’s favour.

“I think breaking this partnership was the turning point in the game,” said Best. “Shakib played fantastic, just wrong shot selection again and I think he’s young and will improve. I got some inswing and outswing and at my pace it is going to help me on slow pitches.”

Earlier, Shakib became only the second Bangladeshi bowler to complete 100 wickets in Test cricket as he dismissed four batsmen in the morning session before the tourists declared on 648 for nine after resuming at 564 for four.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2012.