Match overview

Bangladesh Cricket beat West Indies Cricket by 101 runs in Kingston on 30 November 2024, completing a four-innings victory at Sabina Park that few would have predicted given Bangladesh's form coming into the match. Bangladesh posted 164 in the first innings after winning the toss and choosing to bat, then restricted West Indies to 146. A second-innings total of 268 set West Indies a target of 287. They were bowled out for 185, leaving Bangladesh with a 101-run margin. Taijul Islam was named player of the match for his role with the ball across both West Indies innings.

The result carries particular weight given Bangladesh's run of form in 2024. They had lost five consecutive completed Tests before this fixture, including back-to-back series defeats against India and South Africa. Winning away from home, at a ground with a 45% chase success rate and a reputation for testing batting line-ups, is a meaningful shift in that narrative.

Both first-innings scores sat comfortably below Sabina Park's 75-match average of 213. That is not unusual for this ground; the surface consistently rewards bowlers who hit the right lengths, and spin in particular can be effective once the pitch dries out into the later days.

Venue and conditions

Sabina Park has staged 75 Tests and produced some of the most bowler-friendly conditions in the Caribbean. The average first-innings score of 213 is modest by Test standards, and the second-innings average of 179 tells a similar story. Fourth-innings chases are particularly difficult here: the ground's chase success rate sits at 45%, meaning defending teams win the majority of low-target contests.

The toss has historically shaped results. The side winning it chooses to field 67% of the time, reflecting a common read that early conditions favour seam and bounce. Bangladesh's decision to bat first on this occasion was therefore a departure from the usual preference and one that, given their eventual success, proved well judged.

There is no powerplay or death-overs phase in Test cricket, but the Sabina Park surface tends to produce most of its movement in the first session of each day's play. Spin bowlers often come into their own in the third and fourth innings as footmarks develop around the crease.

How to watch

West Indies home Tests are broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Cricket. Viewers without a full Sky subscription can access coverage through a NOW TV day pass or monthly entertainment membership. Sky Go is available for subscribers watching on mobile or tablet devices.

BBC Radio's Test Match Special provides ball-by-ball commentary for most overseas Test series involving major nations, including West Indies home fixtures. The programme streams live on BBC Sounds.

Recent form

Bangladesh arrived in Kingston carrying the weight of five successive Test defeats in 2024. Losses against India (twice) and South Africa (twice), plus an earlier defeat in this same West Indies series, had raised questions about their ability to compete away from home. The Sabina Park win does not erase that record, but it demonstrates the side can perform when conditions suit their bowling attack.

West Indies came into the match with a mixed recent run of their own. They had beaten England once and lost twice in their four most recent completed results before this fixture. Their bowling attack has the firepower to trouble any side at Sabina Park, as historical match records from this venue confirm, but their batting in this match did not hold up against Bangladesh's spinners across either innings.