Published 16:44 IST, February 7th 2021
Kyle Mayers etches name in record books as he guides Windies to sensational win vs B'desh
Hurt by the defeat in ODI series, West Indies made a sensational comeback on Sunday as the tourists defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets in the first Test
Hurt by the defeat in ODI series, West Indies made a sensational comeback on Sunday as the tourists defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets in the first Test of the 2-match series. Windies were guided to victory by debutant Kyle Mayers notching up a double century on the road to win. 28-years-old Mayers had before the series said that he would notch up a century and walked the talk when opportunity knocked his door.
With his double century on Sunday morning, Mayers etched his name in the books of history as he became the sixth player to register 200 on debut. The left-handed-batsman scored 210 runs off 310 deliveries in the second innings of the game after a valiant 40-run knock in the first innings. Along with Nkrumah Bonner, Mayers also led the Men in Maroon to register the highest successful Test chases in Asia de-throning the record held by Sri Lanka after the island nation chased 391 to defeat Zimbabwe in 2017.
Other records by Mayers include:
- 6th in the list of double hundreds in fourth innings
- 6th in the list of highest individual scores on Test debut
- 5th in the list of highest targets successfully chased in 4th innings
Mayers sensational knock on Sunday also opened the gates of praise for the debutant. Former English skipper Michael Vaughan was one of the many to appreciate Mayers knock as he tweeted, "Kyle Mayers... Remember the name!" Voice of Indian cricket Harsha Bhogle described the knock as 'one of the greatest debut innings of all time'. Here's how everyone reacted:
We never give up: Mayers
After his brilliant knock, Mayers credited his skipper and coach for inspiring the team. Describing his innings as a 'special innings,' Mayers said, "I'm always positive and believed in my ability, and believed that we could get there. We never give up, and keep fighting. The skipper and the coach tell us to keep fighting. Shannon put in a great effort on that wicket and that inspired all of us to do well. It's a great feeling to be playing Test cricket, and then going on to score 100, 200 and then to win the match, it's a really special feeling. I'd love to thank the coach, captain, teammates, coaches and family back home as well."
Chasing a mammoth target of 395 to go 1-0 up in the two-match series, the visitors seemed to be in a spot of bother after losing their top-order before even breaching the three-figure mark before the middle-order duo of Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner (86) added 116 runs for the fourth-wicket stand before the latter was dismissed.
The Windies did lose a couple of wickets after Boner's dismissal but the 28-year-old batsman from Barbados kept fighting on from the other end as he took the Bangladesh bowlers to the cleaners. In the end, his efforts paid off as the Calypso Boys did the unthinkable on the final session of the final day's play.
Updated 16:44 IST, February 7th 2021