Mayers shows character; Tigers the lack of it
Test cricket is a different ball game -- a common saying that was yet again proved yesterday when West Indies registered an unlikely-yet-fully-deserved win against Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
What transpired on the final day was simply incredible and could not have been anticipated by anyone. Had anyone said that the Windies would go on to secure a three-wicket victory at any point of the first four days, there probably would be many who would refuse to believe it.
But that's what Test cricket, the most elegant format of the game, can do to you. It can stun you in the most mesmerising way possible, make you witness the almost unbelievable and prove the team management's detailed and well-thought strategies impracticable. And at the root of all these was one player, Kyle Mayers, who was out there playing his first Test at the age of 28. The left-hander, who was called into the side only after a number of first-choice players opted out, etched his name in the record books by helping his side instigate a roaring comeback the sound of which probably would resonate around the world for a while.
The beauty of cricket had been portrayed in the country's port city through Mayers' unbeaten 210 which saw him become the first player to have scored a double hundred in the fourth innings on Test debut and helped his side record the highest successful run-chase in Asia. The 395-run chase was also the fifth highest over all.
Bangladesh team management had a lot of strategies and ploys in place for the game, all of which were outdone by Mayers. With the target of registering first points in the World Test Championship (WTC), the Tigers' think-tank opted for the safest route of employing a spin quartet and a sole pacer, a strategy that they thought would help them take home advantage like on a number of occasions in the past.
And even though premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was sitting out with an injury, none of the other spinners -- Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, and the sole pacer Mustafizur Rahman -- could prove to be posing much of a threat to the Windies batsmen. The debutante duo -- Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner -- batted for most part of the fifth day and strung together a 216-run stand, most by two debutantes in the fourth innings in Tests.
The duo kept frustrating the Bangladesh bowlers and went unscathed till Tea while Bangladesh players showed very little urgency and aggression in trying to break the daunting partnership. The body language of the players, who are usually accustomed to playing four-dayers and three-dayers at the domestic level, displayed a clear lack of energy and determination on the fifth day of the Test.
Mominul Haque, the inexperienced skipper, seemed out of ideas, failing to put pressure on the Windies batsmen with witty bowling changes and placing an attacking field setting. Only in the final session of the game that the Tigers seemed to be realising the impending defeat. Players started chanting and became vocal with Tamim, who had been out of the ground for hours, sharing words with the bowlers and Shakib talking with fielders close to the boundary line.
That did have an impact as Bangladesh managed to pick up two quick wickets just after Tea. But it was all too late to stop a side that had already stepped on the gas, with Mayers on the driver's seat. And an incredible victory was registered in the best fitting way -- Mayers taking the winning run and raising his bat towards his teammates at the dugout.