Kavem Hodge’s unbeaten 140 puts West Indies on the brink of series after Towhid Hridoy’s 242

Kavem Hodge (Image: IANS) Kavem Hodge put West Indies firmly in the driver’s seat with a commanding unbeaten century as the visitors tightened their grip on the second and final Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Sunday. Backed by valuable contributions from Kevin Wickham and Brandon King, Hodge guided West Indies to 345/3 at stumps on Day 4, stretching their total lead to 315 runs and leaving Bangladesh with the uphill task of avoiding the series fade-out.With just one day remaining, West Indies are well placed to dictate terms and aim for a clean sweep after already taking control of the contest. The Bangladeshi bowlers struggled to find answers against a West Indies batting line-up that displayed patience and aggression in equal measure.Hodge remained unbeaten on 140 while Amir Jangoo was batting on 20 when poor light brought proceedings to a premature end.

Hodge leads West Indies with unbeaten century

Resuming the day at 7/0, West Indies started confidently as King and Joshua Da Silva put together an opening partnership of 85. The stand was finally broken by Taijul Islam, who bowled a sharp delivery and caught Da Silva leg-before for 36.King continued to look comfortable at the crease and approached his sixth Test half-century. However, his promising innings ended when he attempted an aggressive shot against Mehidy Hasan Miraz and was dismissed for 61, leaving West Indies at 119/2.Bangladesh briefly sensed an opportunity after conceding two wickets in quick succession, but Hodge and debutant Wickham ensured the momentum stayed with the visitors.Hodge took on the Bangladesh spinners with confidence, using his legs effectively and finding the gaps with well-timed strokes. He brought up his third Test century from 142 deliveries, heading Taijul to square leg for a single.

Debutant Wickham makes another valuable contribution

Wickham followed up his impressive Test debut with a fluent 78, adding crucial runs alongside Hodge as Bangladesh made inroads into the West Indies batting order.The youngster brought up his second half-century of the match off 68 balls, hitting a boundary over another cover. After scoring 61 in the first innings, Wickham looked well on course to make another major contribution before sending a delivery straight back to Taijul, who took a turn and dismissed him for 78.The dismissal ended a key partnership and gave Bangladesh some relief, but Hodge continued to dominate as the West Indies closed in on a formidable total.Taijul was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with figures of 2/118 as the rest of the attack struggled to contain the visitors.

Bangladesh face a tough task after Hridoy’s historic double century

Earlier in the match, Towhid Hridoy made a remarkable unbeaten 242 to help Bangladesh recover from a difficult position to post 386 in their first innings. His knock gave the hosts a 30-run lead after West Indies were bowled out for 356.Hridoy’s innings was particularly significant as he became only the fourth Bangladeshi batsman to score a Test double century, joining Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.Despite his extraordinary efforts, Bangladesh now face the prospect of a tough final day as the West Indies look to gain an even bigger lead before they report. Hridoy believes Bangladesh can still take it match by match and stresses that a strong start will be crucial if they set a target in the region of 350 runs.