GROS-ISLET, Saint Lucia (AFP)— Kyle Mayers and Jermaine Blackwood put West Indies on top against Bangladesh with a century stand which lifted the home side into a 14-run lead on the second day of the second and final Test in St Lucia on Saturday.

Having stumbled to lunch at 137 for four in reply to Bangladesh’s 234 all out, the fifth-wicket pair batted through the afternoon to reach 248 for four.

They put on 111 runs in the two hours’ play and 116 for their partnership overall in a manner which made a mockery of the earlier struggles of the top order.

Mayers, who will always be remembered for a historic unbeaten 210 on debut in a victory chase of 395 against the same opponents in Chattogram last February, has batted in his usual forceful, authoritative style to reach 60 at the break off 86 deliveries, with eight fours and a six embellishing his third Test half-century.

Blackwood, in contrast, continued to bat with admirable discipline in a noted transformation from the reckless abandon which defined much of his batting prior to 2022.

He resumes with Mayers in the final session of the day on 40, having faced 117 balls and stroked six fours.

Bangladesh’s players left the field at tea in a mood which was 180 degrees away from the ebullience and anticipation with which they started the session.

Seamer Khaled Ahmed took two wickets in the space of two overs and spinner Mehidy Hasan snared the all-important wicket of captain Kraigg Brathwaite to trigger the Windies’ pre-lunch slide.

– Bangladesh hit back before lunch –

Starting the day at 67 without loss, Brathwaite and opening partner John Campbell extended their stand to exactly 100 — their first century partnership in Tests since coming together for the first time three years ago.

However seamer Shoriful Islam disrupted those plans when extracting extra bounce off the surface and Campbell’s attempted hook was gloved for wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan to take a comfortable catch.

Campbell’s departure for 45 brought Raymon Reifer to the crease with the left-hander, following his double-failure in the first Test in Antigua a week earlier, under pressure to justify his position at number three in the batting order.

He saw Brathwaite reach a 27th Test half-century in the skipper’s usual unobtrusive manner but it was then that Mehidy intervened.

Brathwaite, on 51, was deceived in flight and bowled comprehensively by the off-spinner.

Khaled then added to that success when Reifer, who never looked comfortable despite getting to 22, played on to a lifting delivery on the body.

New batter Nkrumah Bonner fell in similar manner in the bowler’s next over, the right-hander looking decidedly uncomfortable facing the extra bounce to depart for a duck.

In the space of 15 minutes, 131 for one had become 132 for four.