'Should have taken two more wickets'

Bangladesh Test and T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan had previously emphasised on how scoring over 300 runs in the first innings would prove vital if they are to win the second Test against West Indies in Dhaka. The home side were en route to doing exactly that yesterday, ending the first day's play on 259 for five at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

The Tigers should ideally be looking to post a total around the 370 to 400-run mark. Meanwhile, their four spinners are surely waiting in the wings to play their part on a Mirpur pitch which remained on the slower side on the first day.

There was a bit of turn as the pitch has already started to break, but according to West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, it was an even day for both sides but it would have been better for his team had they picked two more wickets.

“The pitch is better than the previous one [in Chattogram]. It is just a bit slow. It is flatter. It is good for batting. Let's see how long it lasts. At the end of the day, we should have taken two more wickets but 259-5 I think is an honest day's work. We just have to take the two wickets early tomorrow and get into the tail,” Bishoo told reporters yesterday.

The 33-year-old, who picked two wickets including that of top-scorer Shadman Islam, who he trapped leg-before for 76, also informed that the visitors will have to perform better with the bat to remain in the hunt.

“The wicket will hold up a bit for the first three days. It will play well. But we have to see how it goes from the third afternoon onwards. No matter how the wicket plays, we have to bat properly. We have to find a way to bat against the spinners properly,” he said.