Bangladesh win first ODI in WIndies

An all-round Bangladesh national cricket team on Sunday notched up a comfortable 48-run win over against West Indies in the first match to take a 1-0 lead in the three match one-day international series in Guyana on Sunday.

Opener Tamim Iqbal’s unbeaten 130 off 160 balls and Sakib al Hasan’s 97 off 121 deliveries guided Bangladesh to 279-4 in their stipulated overs before Bangladeshi bowlers delivered a stand out performance to restrict the hosts to 231-9.

Skipper Mashrafee bin Murtaza provided the most of the damage in Caribbean innings as he finished with 4-37 while pacer Mustafizur Rahman also bagged 2-35.

Shimron Hetmyer struck 52 off 78 balls while Chris Gayle made 40 off 60 deliveries but rest of the Caribbean batsmen were clueless against a completely changed Bangladesh bowling attack, who looked hapless during the two-match Test series that only concluded last week.

Tamim and Sakib added a record 207-run partnership for the second wicket, also the second highest partnership for Bangladesh in one-day international to give the Tigers a challenging total on a slow wicket at Providence Stadium.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim hit a cameo of 30 off 11 deliveries with three fours and two sixes to give Bangladesh a late momentum and guided them to a competitive score.

Tamim reached his 10th ODI century off 146 balls – the slowest hundred by a Bangladesh in limited overs – but hit two sixes in the final over to make his strike rate a decent one.

Both Tamim and Mushfiq took 22 runs off the penultimate over off Jason Holder and added 53 runs in the last three overs after initial slow batting appeared to have dented Bangladesh’s hopes.

Tamim and Sakib paired after Bangladesh lost opener Anamul Haque for a duck in the second over and they batted until 45th over until they were finally separated by Devendra Bishoo.

Sakib fell just three runs short of what would have been his eighth ODI century when he was caught by Hetmyer at mid-wicket off Bishoo while trying to hit a boundary.

Both Tamim and Sakib had their share of luck as West Indies fielders missed at least four catches during their marathon partnership.

Tamim was dropped on 17 and 20 by Ashley Nurse and Gayle while Gayle and Hetmyer dropped Sakib respectively on 15 and 84.

Bishoo was the most successful bowler for the Caribbean side finishing with 2-52.

Mashrafee gave Bangladesh the first breakthrough by picking up Evin Lewis (17) early in the Caribbean run-chase while Rubel Hossain got rid of Shai Hope for six in his very first delivery of the match.

Gayle and Hetmyer then added 40 runs for the third wicket but a terrible mix-up saw Gayle run-out after playing a kind of unfamiliar knock.

Mustafizur dismissed Hetmyer and Rovman Powell (0) in successive deliveries to hold the hosts to 141-6 and guided the Tigers take the full control of the match.

Alzarri Joseph and Bishoo added an unbeaten stand of 59 runs for the final wicket only to reduce the margin of their defeat and both remained unbeaten on 29 runs.

The second match of the series will take place at the same venue on Wednesday.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net