Bangladesh vs West Indies 2018, First Test: Preview and Predicted Playing XI
After a forgettable outing against India, West Indies will hope for a turnaround, when they face Bangladesh in the first test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Thursday, November 21.
Both teams have played 14 Test matches against each other in with the Windies emerging victorious on ten occasions, while two have been won by Tigers, and the remaining two encounters have resulted in stalemates.
Bangladesh
The hosts have received a big boost with the return of Shakib Al Hasan. Though they will be varying of their below-par test record and will aim for a better show against the Carribeans.
Batting
Mushfiqur Rahim is the second-highest run-getter for the Tigers in Test cricket and is coming off a double century in the previous match against Zimbabwe.
He will be beaming with confidence and is expected to be the biggest threat for Windies. While Mominul Haque had also notched up an impressive 161 in that game and he will be eager to replicate it here.
Except these two, Bangladesh will have a lot of hopes on the returning skipper Shakib al Hasan and he would like to mark his return with a memorable performance.
Bowling
In this department, the Tigers will bank on the likes of Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan. The spin duo caused plenty of problems for the Zimbabwean batsmen, and we expect them to thrive again on this spin-friendly surface.
Shakib has taken 196 Wickets in just 53 Tests and the all-rounder will be their key in bowling as well.
Expected Playing XI
Shakib Al Hasan (C), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Khaled Ahmed, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Mohammad Mithun and Mushfiqur Rahim.
West Indies
West Indies have never lost a test match in Bangladesh. They will take a lot of confidence from their fascinating record playing in Bangladesh and will begin as favourites.
They have played six matches against the hosts and have dominated the scoreline 5-0, while one ended in a draw.
Batting
Roston Chase topped the runs charts for the team in the recent Test series against India, and he will be backed by the management to replicate it against Bangladesh.
While Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope have been their key figures in the batting order and these two will be expected to get the team off to a flier. Hope top-scored for Windies with 88 runs in practice match against Bangladesh Cricket Board XI, along with Kieron Powell, who managed an impressive knock of 77 in practice game will aim to Start from where he left in that game.
Bowling
In the absence of Jason Holder, West Indies will bank on the likes of Shannon Gabriel and Devendra Bishoo to put their best feet forward and get the scalps on regular intervals.
Gabriel has taken 115 wickets in 39 tests, while Bishoo with 110 wickets in 34 matches is expected to rattle the top order early on.
Expected Playing XI
Kraigg Brathwaite (C), Kieran Powell, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Sunil Ambris, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Keemo Paul, Devendra Bishoo, Jomel Warrican and Shannon Gabriel.