Players and the officials are lined up for the national anthem ceremony.

Toss Update: Bangladesh won the toss and they chose to field first. The skipper Mehidy says that the first hour is going to hold key and expects his bowlers to make the most of the favorable conditions early on.

Bangladesh have hit rock bottom following their historic Test series sweep in Pakistan. The Tigers have lost their way completely in the past few months. With a brutal hammering from India in a two-match series in September followed by a humiliating 2-0 whitewash against South Africa at home, things have clearly not fallen into place for Bangladesh. Moreover, they will be taking on the hosts at North Sound where they have a forgettable track record that may give them jitters as they build up to this contest. In their previous Test tours, the Tigers had capitulated for 103 and 43 all out at this very venue. To add further to their problems, Bangladesh will be without the services of their ace batters Rahim and Shanto so the job to tackle the hostile WI pace attack seems to be a challenging ask. Bangladesh’s batting in recent times have let them down significantly. Their vulnerable batting lineup was in absolute disarray against South Africa at home and without the services of their key men, these West Indies Tests will feel like an uphill climb. The skipper Mominul Haque now has a serious job on his hands to get his batting department up and ready and set the wheels in motion for his side in the first Test.

West Indies’ solitary Test win against Australia at the Gabba has arguably been their most successful moment in Test cricket this year. But since then, the West Indies have had to contend with two series defeats, one in England and one at home against South Africa. They were hammered in a one-sided fashion in England by 3-0 but against South Africa, the hosts displayed the competitive edge to challenge the Proteas but unfortunately ended up on the losing side. The hosts have yet to register a Test series win on home soil since 2022 and that will be playing on their minds big time. However, West Indies would be at ease knowing that they have a remarkable record against the Tigers in Test cricket. Moreover, their last Test series win at home came against the very same opposition two years ago. West Indies would want the likes of Athanaze, Hodge, Louis, Carty, and Greaves to stand up and make significant contributions with the bat in this series. In terms of bowling, Seales and Shamar have the returning Alzarri to form a lethal attack, and with Roach in the squad, the visitors’ problems can only amplify. Holder will not play a part in this Test as he has been ruled out due to a shoulder injury.

Hello and welcome to Tribe’s live coverage of the first of the two-match Test series between West Indies and Bangladesh from Sir Viv Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. It will be a clash between two underperforming batting units and stellar fast-bowling attacks. Stay tuned to find out who comes on top. My name is Datrim Singha Ray and I am delighted to walk you through the live coverage of the opening day of the Test along with Nikhil Kulkarni and Navjeevan Rajput who will be joining us shortly.