Tigers roar in opener

Bangladesh appeared to have brought their A game when it mattered as, after an 88-run warm-up defeat on Sunday, the Tigers romped to a comfortable eight-wicket win over West Indies in their first tri-series ODI at the Clontarf Cricket Ground in Dublin yesterday. Even more auspi-ciously ahead of the World Cup starting in just 22 days in the United Kingdom, it was Shakib Al Hasan who put in a match-winning all-round display to seal the clinical win.

Shakib first applied the brakes on a West Indies innings threatening to balloon out of control with figures of 33 for one in 10 overs in West Indies’ 261 for nine, during which he also pulled off a screamer of a catch diving full-length to his left at long-on. He then hit an unbeaten, run-a-ball 61 to guide the Tigers home with five overs to spare.

In chase of 262, openers Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar provided the ideal start with a 144-run stand. Tamim enjoyed some early good fortune when a difficult chance was dropped at cov-er off Kemar Roach in the second over when the left-hander was on one. Roach was again the unlucky bowler 20 overs later when Soumya, on 62, pulled towards midwicket and the fielder dropped another difficult chance. Having hit his eighth half-century, Soumya was the first to fall in the 26th over for a 68-ball 73 when he was caught brilliantly at deep midwicket by Darren Bra-vo off Roston Chase, with the fielder catching the ball inches inside the boundary, chucking it in the air before he crossed the rope and coming back in time to complete the dismissal.

Tamim had completed his 27th ODI half-century off 78 balls in the 24th over, and carried on the good work with Shakib in the form of a 52-run second-wicket partnership, of which the latter’s share was 30. Tamim departed for a 116-ball 80 in the 37th over when he was caught low by Windies skipper Jason Holder at midwicket off Shannon Gabriel. That was the last bit of joy for West Indies as Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim put on an unbeaten 68-run stand in 8.2 overs to take the Tigers home. Mushfiqur finished on an unbeaten 32 off 25 balls with two fours and two sixes while Shakib hit three fours and two maximums in his unconquered vigil.

Earlier, after Bangladesh were asked to field first, three wickets from skipper Mashrafe Bin Mor-taza and tight bowling from spin duo Mehedi and Shakib Al Hasan negated a bright start from West Indies and kept West Indies to a manageable total.

West Indies openers Shai Hope and John Campbell had each struck centuries in their opener on Sunday against Ireland while piling on a world-record 365-run opening stand. Campbell was missing with a sore back yesterday, but Sunil Ambris and Shai Hope still managed to put on 89 for the first wicket against a more disciplined attack.

The stand was broken by Mehedi in the 17th over when the off-spinner had Ambris caught at point by Mahmudullah Riyad for 38. Left-arm spinner Shakib then made it two in two overs by having Dwayne Bravo caught behind for one in the next over. A 115-run third-wicket stand fol-lowed between Hope and Roston Chase, taking the West Indies to 205 for two in the 41st over. By then, Hope had reached his second successive hundred, ending up with 109 off 132 balls with 11 fours and a six.

It was then skipper Mashrafe who drastically changed the course of the innings by sending back Chase, Hope and opposite number Holder in two successive overs to have West Indies 211 for five in the 43rd over.

Mohammad Saifuddin chimed in with the wickets of Shane Dowrich and Kemar Roach as West Indies could score just 38 runs from the last five overs.

The only black mark on Bangladesh’s bowling effort was the performance of left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman, who was taken for 83 runs off his 10 overs for the wicket of Johnathon Carter.