Record-breaking Kyle Mayers seals historic win for West Indies

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Kyle Mayers, on his Test debut for West Indies, hit a record-breaking double hundred to help his team chase down a mammoth total of 395, set up by Bangladesh, to win the first Test of the two-match Test series by three wickets at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhary Stadium in Chattogram. Mayers, with his knock of 210 also became the first cricketer in history to make a double hundred in the fourth innings of a Test match. 

At the start of the last day of play, West Indies required more than 300 runs with all the big names like Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell back in the hut and a pair of debutants in Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers at the crease. A win for Bangladesh was written all over the walls until Mayers and Bonner decided to show some Caribbean courage. 

The two of them added a record 216 runs, the second-highest partnership by debutants in Test match history. The record for the highest partnership by a debutant pair sis held by Khalid Ibadulla and Abdul Kadir of Pakistan who together scored 249 for the opening wicket against Australia in Karachi in 1964. 

Bonner got out for 86, but Mayers continued his pursuit of the unachievable. Growing in confidence, he started increasing the run rate and by the time Bangladesh realised what had struck them, they were left to only gather the remains of what would go down in history as the highest ever run chase achieved on Asian soil. Mayers, before hitting the winning run was joined in the middle by Rahkeem Cornwall as the 9th man on the crease when just one run was required. 

Mayers, apart from being the highest run-scorer on debutant in the fourth innings, also got past Sir Vivian Richards’ 109 as the highest fourth-innings score by a West Indian in Asia.  Speaking after the win, Cornwall 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." "I'd love to thank the coach, captain, teammates, coaches and family back home as well. I'm really grateful to everyone. A guy making his debut and scoring a double will definitely inspire youngsters," he added. 

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