West Indies vs Bangladesh, 1st Test Match Preview, Prediction and Live Streaming

Bangladesh have only beaten the West Indies twice in a Test series: once at their own home and once in the West Indies. Just a couple of years ago, both teams met and the Windies handed Bangladesh an emphatic whitewash. That does not seem too unlikely this time around, especially with Bangladesh’s regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto out injured along with Mushfiqur Rahim. On the positive side, both teams can fight it out with everything they have, keeping the bigger picture out of their peripheral vision as both sides make for the bottom of the WTC table. With practically no chance of scampering through to the final, West Indies and Bangladesh can look to address their pain points.

Interestingly, both sides have never played a series with more than two Test matches. West Indies have a solitary win in the entire ongoing WTC cycle, and that came against Australia last year. Similarly, Bangladesh have downed some big fish including New Zealand and Pakistan. Both sides’ bigger test, however, lies in how they plan to tackle their shortcomings. Their batting lineups, largely, have been the root of all the problems they face as of now. Whichever team manages to win the series would do so on the back of whatever contribution the batters can chip in with.

Team Overview:

With Shanto out, Mehidy Hasan Miraz will lead the side while Shahadat Hossain will try to fill the batting void. Mehidy has a lot to do in this game. He is the captain, he bowls regularly (and takes wickets regularly too), and most importantly he has to provide some spine to Bangladesh’s batting lineup. But he will find some respite in the fact that Litton Das is set to make his way back to the team after spending the last four international games out with a high fever. The bowling lineup is pretty decent as Nahid Rana and Taijul Islam showed their class in the recent Test series against South Africa.

Daren Sammy has brought something new to the Windies’ white ball teams but the Test side still remains as toothless as ever. Their bowling side is just as terrific as their opponents if not a touch better. Alzarri Joseph, Jomel Warrican, and Jayden Seales will be joined by Kemar Roach to go pacy-heavy against the weakened Bangladesh side.

Head-to-Head Matches:

Bangladesh have only won four Test games out of the 20 they have played versus West Indies. 14 matches were bagged by the Windies while two ended in a draw.

Weather and Pitch Report:

There is a forecast for rain from the third day onward which can tweak with the result of the game. Generally, North Sound is a fast bowling-friendly pitch, hence the early stages of the match will be dominated by the pacers. For batters, the same time would be the better scoring stage since the pitch tends to get slower as the match progresses, with spinners springing back to life. The last time a Test match was played here was between both these teams too, where Bangladesh were totalled for just 103 runs in the first innings.