Follow UsIt was only three days ago, on June 12 (Sunday), that West Indies finished their three-match ODI series against Pakistan, and they will be in action once again on June 16 (Thursday), with the two-Test series against Bangladesh kicking off at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua.
The hosts, Windies, might be starting this series on the back of an ODI whitewash against Pakistan, but they have excellent red-ball form under their belt, having won the last series they played (1-0 against England at home). Bangladesh, on the other hand, will look to start a new era under the leadership of Shakib Al Hasan, but the Tigers will enter the two-Test series knowing they have lost four of the last 5 Tests they’ve played. The Tigers last toured the Caribbean for a Test series back in 2018, and that ended 2-0 in favor of the hosts.
Should Bangladesh turn up and play like they did against New Zealand, we could be in for an absolutely enthralling series.
Ground Details
Since 2019, five Tests have been played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and three of them, curiously, have ended as a draw. In fact, each of the last three Tests played at this venue have not yielded a result; the last game at this venue, between West Indies and England in March this year, saw the two teams post scores of 311, 375, 349/6 and 147/4 across four innings in the match.
But even then, the venue, of late, has not yielded too many high scores: the last five matches here have seen teams post just 264 runs in the first innings on average. However, the average third innings score during this period being 316 is a pretty good indicator of the wicket being pretty lifeless.
Since 2019, the venue has not seen bowlers have a great deal of success, but it has to be said that the pacers have enjoyed life more than the spinners. Across the last 20 innings at this venue, 71.6% of the wickets have been taken by the seamers, with their average (27) and strike rate (58.9) being far better than that of their spin counterparts (53.4 avg and 115.3 SR).
It is fair to say that, come Thursday, we can expect the skipper winning the toss to opt to bat. If recent history is any evidence to go by, the bowlers will need to toil hard on all five days.
Suggested Team
Captain and vice-captain suggestions
For small leagues: Litton Das (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite (vice captain)
For grand leagues: Litton Das (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite (vice captain)
Stats that matter
* Liton Das is averaging 58.46 across his last 9 Tests and has struck 3 tons in this period. The three times he batted against Sri Lanka, the wicket-keeper registered scores of 88, 141 and 52.
* Kraigg Brathwaite’s last six Test scores read 55, 33, 160, 56*, 17 and 20*, and the Windies skipper has also struck two tons in his last three first-class knocks.
* Bangladesh have lost each of their last 4 Tests in West Indies. The Tigers last won a Test in the Caribbean way back in 2009.
* Shakib Al Hasan, across his last 10 Tests, has been averaging 24.05 with the ball. The newly-appointed Bangladesh skipper also took 9 wickets in 2 games in the series against Sri Lanka.
Grand League punts
* For reasons mentioned above, Kraigg Brathwaite and Litton Das are must-have players in your fantasy XI.
* Tamim Iqbal scored a pair in his last Test, but it might still be worth gambling on the southpaw, who struck a fine 133 in the first Test against Sri Lanka. Tamim also has a century to his name in West Indies and averages 35.58 in Tests in the Caribbean.
* Pick Joshua da Silva in your XI, eyes closed, if you want a run-bank. The wicket-keeper has been a model of consistency, of late, in Tests, his last 4 scores reading 100*, 30*, 33 and 32.
Probable XIs
West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), John Campbell, Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood, Kyle Mayers, Devon Thomas, Joshua da Silva, Raymon Reifer, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales, Gudakesh Motie
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain