Bangladesh Lose Toss, Sent to Bat First

Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh have been asked to bat by West Indies in the first match of the two-Test series at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua today. 

This series was largely preceded by concerns whether Bangladeshi fans would be able to watch the matches live on TV. Unfortunately, no TV channel officially acquired the broadcasting rights for a series that features two Tests -- part of the ICC Test Championship -- three T20Is and three ODIs. 

The fans will have to watch the game on the ICC TV platform but they will have to subscribe to ICC TV and pay two dollars to unlock access to live streams, on-demand replays and highlights.

This series, meanwhile, will see premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan begin his third stint as Bangladesh's Test skipper. Shakib, who succeeded Mominul Haque after he had stepped down from his role as the Test captain of Bangladesh, will have his work cut out as the Tigers go into the tough Windies series on the back of four defeats in their last five Tests. 

Moreover, with Mushfiqur Rahim opting out of the series to perform Hajj and the recent injury forcing middle-order batter Yasir Ali out of the Test series, it is certain that a stern test lies ahead for the Bangladesh top-order that has suffered horrible meltdowns in both innings during their recent Test series at home against Sri Lanka. However, Left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman is playing the Test after over 16 months.