The West Indies men’s Test cricket side has etched a notable milestone in its cricketing history, closing out 2024 without a single Test series defeat for the first time in 30 years, a feat last achieved back in 1994, following a hard-fought drawn second Test against Bangladesh that wrapped up in Sylhet on Monday.
Entering the final day of the fixture, Bangladesh faced a daunting, near-unachievable run chase of 369 to claim a full match victory. The hosts had crawled to 184 for the loss of four wickets by the time umpires called an early halt to play due to deteriorating light conditions after the afternoon tea break. At the moment of stoppage, wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das stood undefeated on 7 runs, while all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz had notched just a single unbeaten run.
Standout Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy, who was awarded the Player of the Match honor, anchored his side’s second innings resistance with a top score of 82. The knock, struck off 140 deliveries and punctuated by eight crisp boundaries, came on the heels of his career-defining first-innings masterclass of 242 not out that had put Bangladesh in a competitive position from the opening days of the Test. Veteran Bangladesh stalwart Mushfiqur Rahim also chipped in with a steady 49 to support the chase effort.
For the touring West Indies, vice-captain Jomel Warrican delivered a series-defining performance, wrapping up the two-match tour with a staggering total of 16 wickets at an exceptional average, earning him the Player of the Series accolade. The left-arm spin specialist also joined an exclusive club of West Indies bowling greats, becoming only the second left-arm spinner in the nation’s Test history to cross the 100 Test wicket milestone, following in the footsteps of legendary 1950s cricketer Alf Valentine.
The West Indies resumed the fifth and final day of the match in a dominant batting position at 345 for 3, before their management declared the innings closed once they reached 398 for 6 to set Bangladesh a stiff target. Overnight unbeaten centurion Kavem Hodge, who had carried his score to 140 the previous evening, was dismissed early on day five for a well-earned 142. Teenage batter Amir Jangoo pushed his overnight 20 to an unbeaten 39, while lower-order batters Justin Greaves added 9, Shamar Joseph contributed 1, and Joshua Bishop finished not out on 20. For Bangladesh’s bowling unit, spinners Nayeem Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Taijul Islam each claimed two wickets, with respective figures of 2 for 72, 2 for 85, and 2 for 118.
Post-match, West Indies captain Roston Chase voiced his immense satisfaction with the tour outcome, noting that securing a series victory on Bangladeshi soil is no small feat against a notoriously strong home side. He acknowledged that the team had targeted a clean 2-0 series sweep to climb to the sixth spot in the World Test Championship rankings, and that frequent interruptions from bad light had made a full match win in the second Test far more difficult to pursue. Chase praised Hridoy’s exceptional batting performance for disrupting his side’s victory plans, noting that such moments of individual brilliance are part of the inherent charm of Test cricket. He also highlighted that the side’s unbeaten 2024 calendar year, which saw them win two out of three contested Test series, was the direct product of months of deliberate planning and relentless hard work, and that the squad is now on a clear upward trajectory, with players set to return home to refine individual skill gaps ahead of future international fixtures.