Kavem Hodge Hits 140 As West Indies Build Lead Over Bangladesh

Kavem Hodge hits 140 as West Indies build lead over Bangladesh© AFP

Kavem Hodge struck an unbeaten 140 as West Indies tightened their grip on the second Test against Bangladesh, extending their lead to 315 runs by stumps on the fourth day in Sylhet on Sunday. West Indies reached 345/3 in their second innings before bad light brought an early end to play. Hodge's commanding knock came off 189 balls and included 17 fours and a six, while Amir Jangoo remained unbeaten on 20 at the close. The left-hander registered his third Test century and surpassed his previous highest score, building on useful contributions from opener Brandon King (61) and debutant Kevin Wickham (78), who recorded his second half-century of the match.

Resuming the day at 7/0, with a deficit of 23 runs, West Indies made steady progress through King and Joshua Da Silva, who added 85 runs for the opening wicket.

The partnership was broken when Taijul Islam trapped Da Silva lbw for 36.

King continued to attack and reached his half-century off just 62 balls. After being dropped by Towhid Hridoy on 56 off Taijul's bowling, he was eventually dismissed by Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 61, caught by captain Najmul Hossain Shanto at first slip.

West Indies went to lunch on 128/2, holding a lead of 98 runs.

Hodge and Wickham then took control of proceedings. Hodge brought up his fifty off 78 deliveries, while Wickham reached his half-century in 68 balls as the pair guided West Indies to 259/2 at tea, extending the lead to 229.

After the break, Hodge completed his century in 142 balls, reaching the milestone with 11 fours and a six.

"It's always nice to contribute to the team," Hodge said.

"We just have to come tomorrow and assess the conditions, play it by ear and keep going moment by moment."

Taijul eventually ended the 165-run partnership by dismissing Wickham for a career-best 78 off 107 balls after the batter chipped a return catch to the bowler. West Indies were 284/3 when Wickham departed.

Bangladesh missed another opportunity to remove Hodge when Shanto dropped him on 117 off the bowling of Nayeem Hasan.

Jangoo, who scored a century in the first innings, then joined Hodge in an unbroken stand that pushed West Indies' lead beyond 300.

Despite the daunting target looming, Hridoy remained optimistic about Bangladesh's chances on the final day, insisting the pitch still offered good batting conditions.

"If we can get a good start, 350 is chaseable, in my opinion," Hridoy said.

"But as I said, the start is very important."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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