Shadman Islam Unbeaten on 99 as Bangladesh Reach 213-3 in Mirpur Opener

Bangladesh opener Shadman Islam ended the first day of the opening Test against the West Indies on 99 not out, leaving the hosts at 213-3 after 74 overs in Mirpur. Bad light brought play to a close just as the left-hander approached what would have been his third Test hundred.

Shadman faced 219 balls and struck 10 fours. Litton Das was alongside him on 10 not out when the umpires called off the day, at the start of a two-match series.

Bangladesh batting coach Mohammad Salahuddin said the dressing room shared the tension. "It was nerve-racking even for us, at the end of the day, the whole team was nervous because everyone wanted him to get to his hundred," he said on Wednesday. He added that Shadman has played around 30 Tests but has only two centuries, and that "I think that number should have been higher."

The West Indies made an early breakthrough when in-form opener Tanzid Hasan edged Jayden Seales to second slip for nine. Mominul Haque then added 28 before falling to the left-arm spin of Jomel Warrican.

Shadman steered Bangladesh to lunch at 96-2. Shortly after the break, Warrican struck again, trapping captain Najmul Hossain Shanto leg before wicket for 19.

Shadman reached his half-century from 95 balls and found a capable partner in Towhid Hridoy, who came into the side in place of the injured Mushfiqur Rahim. The pair batted through the afternoon session, lifting Bangladesh to 177-3 at tea, and their fourth-wicket stand was worth 88 runs.

Hridoy was forced to retire hurt on 42 after cramping as he closed in on a maiden Test fifty, and he was helped from the field. Bad light then halted play for an hour, and after a short resumption the umpires ended the day.

Warrican was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with figures of 2-33. He said his side had stayed in the contest. "Ideally, I would want one more wicket, but we have control of the game. The game never got away from us," he said.

He praised the discipline of the attack as well. "Even if you're not getting wickets, you try to be as disciplined as possible. That's the key, which we did very well. But ideally, we wanted at least one or two more wickets today."