West Indies favourites on milestone Test

Match facts

September 13-17, 2014
Start time 1000 local (1400 GMT)

Big Picture

West Indies have a distinct advantage ahead of their 500th Test. Besides their 1-0 lead, Bangladesh's state of mind would be at a low ebb after seamer Al-Amin Hossain was reported for a suspect action and Imrul Kayes was ruled out with a skin infection.

The hosts have one setback of their own with Chris Gayle unavailable due to "personal matters." Leon Johnson, who is yet to make his debut, comes in place of a man with over 100 Tests. The rest of Denesh Ramdin's team looks well settled in this series. Apart from a favourable result on their milestone Test, West Indies have a chance to win their first Test series in 2014.

Kraigg Brathwaite, with his maiden double-hundred, would have taken the most out of the first Test, and his captain has urged him to continue playing his natural game. The responsibility would then be on the likes of Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo and Shivnarine Chanderpaul to play around Brathwaite, if he drops anchor.

West Indies' bowling doesn't particularly have a leader, but the left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn took five wickets and was seen constantly chatting to the other bowlers. Kemar Roach would feel encouraged by his four-wicket haul in the second innings, which makes 2014 his best year since the 39 wickets he took in 2012.

Bangladesh's confidence has taken a significant hit with a 3-0 defeat in the ODIs before conceding the St Vincent Test. They batted better in the second innings but still could only manage a negligible target. They are also unsure on using Al-Amin because of the scrutiny on his action. The obvious risk is that the umpires may call him but Sohag Gazi played the third ODI after he was reported, and so has Prosper Utseya without any incidents. Although the same umpires who reported him, Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth, are in charge of the second Test too.

The occasion may make West Indies a bit nervous, and it would be factors like these that Bangladesh would have to latch on to and salvage an already wretched tour.

Form guide

West Indies (completed matches, most recent first) WLWLL
Bangladesh LDLDD

Players to watch

The pace of Kraigg Brathwaite's double hundred was under the scanner throughout the first Test, but ultimately West Indies won with more than two sessions to spare. But neither he nor his captain wants anything different which means Bangladesh will have to continue working very hard to dismiss him.

For a player of Mahmudullah's quality, it was only a matter of time before he ended a 21-month drought for a Test half-century. With that bogey off his back, there is always a chance that his bowling would improve too.

Team news

With Chris Gayle out, it is unlikely that West Indies will drop Kirk Edwards despite his run of low scores during this series. Edwards could well open considering Leon Johnson has mostly played at No 3 in first-class cricket. With a 1-0 lead to fall back on, it is also unlikely that they would pick a five-man bowling attack by bringing in either Jason Holder or Shane Shillingford.

West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Kirk Edwards, 3 Leon Johnson, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Denesh Ramdin (capt & wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Shannon Gabriel, 11 Suleiman Benn

With Imrul Kayes out, Bangladesh is likely give Anamul Haque his first Test since October last year. Robiul Islam might get into the XI should Bangladesh opt to lessen the spotlight on Al-Amin.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Shamsur Rahman, 3 Anamul Haque, 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 6 Nasir Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Shuvagata Hom, 9 Robiul Islam/ Al-Amin Hossain, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain

Pitch and conditions

Ramdin's observations regarding the pitch at Beausejour Stadium indicates there might be more grass than at St Vincent and the quicks would enjoy good bounce and carry. This will only be the fourth Test at the venue, and the first after eight years.

Stats and trivia

• The two teams are locked at 2-2 in Tests played in West Indies.
• West Indies have won 38% of their Tests till 2000, having won 138 out of 368 Tests. Since then, it has dropped to 18% as they have won just 24 out of 131 Tests.

Quotes

"You cannot save a Test match by scoring 70s or 80s. I made a hundred in the first Test but that still didn't matter in the end. The main target should be to get set and ensure that the innings should be 100 to 150. I am hoping for that to happen."
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim

"It is very important that we play competitive cricket but the Bangladeshis are not going to lie down. They have aggressive batters so our bowlers need to be on par with them. We have to take our chances in the slip cordon."
West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin.