Big picture - West Indies carry momentum into Sylhet
West Indies will look to wrap up a series win against Bangladesh in Sylhet to cap off an unbeaten and encouraging calendar year. This is the third Test series they are playing this year. They drew one (against Pakistan) and won one (against Sri Lanka), both at home. Going into the Sylhet Test 1-0 up, West Indies would be keen to build on recent gains and making it a rare series win on the road.
Pride was evident in head coach Daren Sammy's voice when he spoke about West Indies outbowling Bangladesh in their conditions in the first Test in Dhaka: Jomel Warrican and captain Roston Chase returned five-wicket hauls, while newcomer Joshua Bishop was disciplined and showed good control even though he wasn't as successful as his seniors.
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West Indies also had good performers with the bat. John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul made contrasting fifties in the first innings, though West Indies were bowled out for 245, conceding a 27-run lead. And Brandon King's unbeaten 81 took them home in a short and sharp chase in the fourth innings. West Indies will want more top- and middle-order contributions and strong partnerships in Sylhet, where fast bowling is likely to have more of a say than was the case in Dhaka.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, would be desperate for more from their batters after they spurned a good start in Dhaka. Shadman Islam struck his third Test century, but only Nayeem Hasan had a decent run among the others, scoring a half-century from No. 8 in the second innings, where they scored 142 to fritter away the advantage. Bangladesh will want captain Najmul Hossain Shanto to lead the recovery - he has two centuries in Sylhet but scored only 19 and 10 in the first Test. In a boost for Bangladesh, Mushfiqur Rahim will return after a finger injury ruled him out of the first Test.
Spin was also a concern for them in the first Test, and Shanto minced no words when placing the blame on them - Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nayeem - for the reversal in Dhaka. Taijul, their premier spinner, has taken just five wickets in his last four Tests.
Form guide
Bangladesh LDLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WLWDW
West Indies WLWDW
In the spotlight: Shadman Islam and Jomel Warrican
Shadman Islam has to provide a strong follow-up to his century. The left-hand opener looked confident in the first innings in Dhaka, but couldn't quite do the same in the second innings. Shadman is an accumulator, waiting for the bowlers' mistakes. He has done well against West Indies in the past, handling their fast bowlers better than their spinners. Shadman can expect a tough test in Sylhet, and has to show that he can deal with it.
Jomel Warrican played a huge role in West Indies' win in Dhaka, finishing with a match haul of 9 for 114. Warrican varied his pace masterfully in Dhaka, and West Indies will expect a similar mode of attack in Sylhet, where the bounce may favour his left-arm spin.
Team news: Taskin Ahmed vs Ebadot Hossain
Mushfiqur will return, so he is likely to take Mominul Haque's place in the starting XI after Mominul was ruled out of the first test following a concussion. There could be a toss-up between Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain for the third seamer's spot.
Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Litton Das (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Taijul Islam, 9 Hasan Mahmud, 10 Taskin Ahmed/Ebadot Hossain, 11 Shoriful Islam
Kemar Roach could return to the playing XI for West Indies if they believe that the Sylhet surface will be conducive to fast bowling.
West Indies (probable): 1 John Campbell, 2 Brandon King, 3 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 4 Kavem Hodge, 5 Amir Jangoo (wk), 6 Roston Chase (capt), 7 Justin Greaves, 8 Kemar Roach/Joshua Bishop, 9 Shamar Joseph, 10 Jomel Warrican, 11 Jayden Seales
Pitch and conditions
Sylhet offers better pace and bounce than Dhaka, which could mean a better time for batters as well as fast bowlers. The weather forecast is mostly dry at this time of the year in Sylhet.
Stats and trivia
- Bangladesh haven't won a match since their Test win against Australia in Darwin in August.
- Phil Simmons was the West Indies head coach when they last won a Test series 2-0 - at home in 2022; he is now the Bangladesh head coach.