Gabriel strikes back after Mominul ton

The first day of the first Test between Bangladesh and Windies was one of contrasting fortunes. Bangladesh had called the shots in the first couple of sessions, Mominul Haque shepherding them to a position of strength with a well-crafted century. Bangladesh had gone to tea sitting pretty at 216/3, but Gabriel then put up an exhibition of intense reverse-swing bowling to rattle and ravage the hosts. At stumps, Bangladesh were 315/8 – 56 of those runs coming through an unbroken ninth-wicket stand between Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan.

The downfall began after a somewhat lazy drive by the centurion. Perhaps due to a momentary lapse in focus after the tea break, Haque flashed at one outside off half-heartedly, getting a nick to the keeper. His first wicket in the spell may have been a gift, but it spurred Gabriel – who had looked a bit off-colour until then – into producing a scintillating spell, which brought him three more scalps.

He suddenly got movement off the surface and through the air. The next to fall was Mushfiqur Rahim, trapped in front by an in-swinger for four, Windies utilising the review to get the decision their way. Mahmudullah too was done in by one that swerved in sharply, but Windies didn't have to review that one as the ball snuck between bat and pad to scatter the stumps.

Shakib Al Hasan had played well until the tea break and had forged a 69-run stand with Haque, but he too was undone by Gabriel's brilliance, the big fast bowler getting one to nip in, having the skipper chop on for 34.

The day hadn't begun too well for Bangladesh, Kemar Roach getting one to straighten to find Soumya Sarkar's edge for a duck. But Imrul Kayes and Mominul then made repairs with a 104-run stand until. Kayes, on 44, dabbed one off Jomel Warrican straight into the hands of short leg – a soft dismissal.

Mohammad Mithun never looked too comfortable in his stay of fifty deliveries. He finally tried to hit out against Devendra Bishoo, and only ended up lobbing a simple catch close to the pitch, which keeper Shane Dowrich had ample time to get under, sending him back for 20.

Shakib, returning after an injury layoff, looked as if he'd never been away and batted with characteristic fluency, almost matching Monimul, who was in the middle of yet another gem. The duo rotated strike freely and had worked Bangladesh into a solid position.

After the Gabriel blitz, Mehidy Hasan put up some resistance with a knock of 22 runs, playing a couple of bold shots, including a hook off Roach. But he fell prey to an alluring delivery by left-arm spinner Warrican – one that was flighted and pitched just outside leg and then spinning sharply past Hasan's attempted drive to disturb his stumps.

But the visitors gave away some of the advantage by failing to clean up the Bangladesh tail. Taijul Islam (32*) and debutant Nayeen Hasan (24*) decided to hit out and had a good amount of success. Islam even survived a couple of close lbw calls on review – the first time because he had a nick on the sweep and then because the ball spun too much. Nayeem looked very comfortable on debut and started playing some classy shots. They took the side past 300.

They even looked fairly confident in tackling Gabriel and Roach with the second new ball, reiterating that it remained a good wicket for batting. Their partnership remained unbroken at 56 at stumps, and will look to further frustrate the Windies bowlers, although Gabriel will eye a well-deserved five-for.