West Indies vs Bangladesh, 2nd Test Match Preview, Prediction and Live Streaming

Ever since their clean sweep over Pakistan, Bangladesh have been on a downward spiral. Should they lose the upcoming Test versus West Indies, it will be their third Test series defeat in a row. Surely, these defeats can not be random, especially when they have come in clumps as big as this. But what has been the common factor between all these defeats? Mind you, these were not close losses either. From an innings defeat to losing by seven wickets or more than 200 runs, the Asian team has been on the receiving end of morale-shattering, heavy drubbings of late.

West Indies have only had the luck of winning two games in this World Test Championship (WTC) cycle so far, one of which came against Bangladesh in the last match. Interestingly, the first win was when they downed Australia at no other venue than Gabba. This, sort of, sums up the side’s revival process. The downs have of course outdone the ups the Windies have seen in the past couple of years but still, there have been positives, many at that and that is what should keep them going.

Team Overview:

One can argue that Bangladesh’s batting has been one of the reasons behind this dismal run. Of all teams in this WTC cycle, Bangladesh have the second-worst batting average, which is merely 22. Against a bowling lineup like that of West Indies, these shortcomings were put on full display. True, they played the first Test game without their captain and probably the best batter, Najmul Hossain Shanto. But if they plan on carrying their momentum of keeping the big teams in check, they should do better than to pin all their hopes on one player.

At the same time, it’s unfair to entirely credit all their efforts to one player only. In the previous game even, the bowlers kept the game competitive for the longest part. There were some streaks of brilliance from the batters too, especially some stabilizing knocks from batters like Mominul Haque, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. On a surface like North Sound, where 28 out of 38 wickets fell to pacers, Bangladesh were low on fast bowling stocks. Taskin Ahmed’s six-wicket haul in the third inning further proves how much the team needed a stronger pace-attack.

West Indies, too, have not been necessarily great in this cycle. After all, they, just like Bangladesh, are also out of contention for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. But there were some shades of their magnificent past in the bowling lineup that bundled Bangladesh to just 132 runs in the fourth innings. The hosts fielded no less than five pacers including Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, and Justin Greaves, and boy did they make the best of the North Sound conditions. They will be looking to take the same killer instinct to Sabina Park as well to win what will be their first Test series win in this cycle.

Head-to-Head Matches:

Bangladesh have only won four Test games out of the 21 they have played versus West Indies. 15 matches were bagged by the Windies while two ended in a draw.

Weather and Pitch Report:

Sabina Park will, again, be a venue that will see bowlers get the maximum out of the surface. Although fast bowlers tend to be more successful here, spinners do not lag far behind when it comes to grabbing scalps and troubling the batters. Overcast conditions will make things more easy for bowlers. Batting in the first innings will be the easiest as the pitch deterioration will make it difficult