Their run rate dipped below three, allowing Bangladesh some breathing space despite them not picking up any wickets.
Persistent overnight rain ate three hours and 45 minutes away from the day, but West Indies managed 407 for three after the 56 overs that were possible. Brathwaite and his hero Shivnarine Chanderpaul added 146 runs at a run-rate of 2.49 per over.
The morning session was lost to a wet outfield, however the hosts were in no rush to make up for lost time. They took 80 runs from 28 overs after lunch and were happy with scoring at a measly 2.25 runs in the final session's play.
The pitch wasn't doing much and Bangladesh's bowling was steady at best. There were moments when caution was needed, but not in the final session when the spinners looped the ball into the slot with the field up. Towards stumps, the Bangladesh fielders were joking about keeping this partnership going into the third day.
Every team, barring Zimbabwe, have struck at more than three runs an over against Bangladesh over the past five years. Had West Indies followed their average of 3.31 runs per over, they would have reached 450.
Initially though, things were tough. Rubel Hossain used the new ball to nip past Chanderpaul's outside edge and into the keeper's gloves.
The appeal was instantaneous, but the umpire disagreed. Mushfiqur Rahim, misled by the noise of bat hitting ground, opted for a review and lost it. There were a few more deliveries that beat the bat, and there was enough reason for the two batsmen to stick to their naturally circumspect style of play.
Brathwaite added to his reputation of being stubborn with Chanderpaul, one of the bests exponents of that trait, to guide him. He favoured pace on the ball, hitting a couple of fours off Rubel in the 96th over with cuts and pulls.
Taijul Islam posed greater threat, beating Brathwaite a number of times. However, the batsman corrected his tendency to hang hang back in the crease against the spinners and began working Shuvagata Hom and Taijul quite well through the on-side to ease past his 150.
Chanderpaul barely put a wrong foot after the initial half an hour, waiting for the poor delivery to get runs. He eventually reached his fifty off 171 balls, in the same over that Brathwaite secured his double ton and West Indies moved past 400.
Brathwaite had been bogged down in the 190s. He spent 39 deliveries nudging around before reaching his double hundred with slog off Mahmudullah, the same bowler he had hit the boundary to reach his century on the first day. He claimed all his previous landmarks - 50, 100 and 150 - with fours as well. He hit 14 in all, but played out 314 dots from 437 balls faced.
Tea WI 344/3: Persistent overnight rain ate three hours and 45 minutes away from the second day and when play resumed Kraigg Brathwaite and Shivnarine Chanderpaul took West Indies to 344 for three at tea, with Bangladesh managing only a few close shaves.
Brathwaite was unbeaten on 166, adding 83 for the fourth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was not out on 27 off 96 balls.
They were cautious, excessively so at times, which helped Al-Amin Hossain and Rubel Hossain pose a threat with the new ball. However, both batsmen weathered the tricky period and reinforced West Indies' authority on the Test.
A wet outfield put paid to the the morning session. Rubel sensed a chance in the second over of the day when he had Chanderpaul pushing outside the off-stump. Mushfiqur Rahim had heard a noise before snapping up a simple chance but umpire Marais Erasmus was unmoved by his appeal. Bangladesh opted for a review, but replays confirmed that Chanderpaul's bat hit the ground and he had missed the ball.
An hour later, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam beat Brathwaite outside the off-stump. Soon though, Brathwaite corrected his tendency to hang hang back in the crease against the spinners and began working Shuvagata Hom and Taijul quite well through the on-side en route to making the best score by an opener in 2014.
Brathwaite favoured pace on the ball, hitting a couple of fours off Rubel in the 96th over with cuts and pulls. He finally reached his 150 in the 100th over by sweeping Shuvagata, adding to the tradition of West Indies batsmen getting big hundreds against Bangladesh. He reached 150 off 305 balls, with 11 fours.
Chanderpaul's presence added to West Indies' solidity but they also scored at a lesser rate than the first day. They ended the session adding 80 runs at 2.86 per over, which is also the result of a better, fuller length by Bangladesh's bowlers.
No play before Lunch rain
No play before Lunch rain
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