Superb Bangladesh batting set up an emphatic win over the West Indies in their first ODI in Providence in the USA.
Having elected to bat first, Bangladesh suffered the early loss of Anamul Haque for a three-ball duck but, inspired by the recent ODI heroics of Pakistan’s batsmen, opener Tamim Iqbal and No 3 batter Shakib Al Hasan added 208 for the second wicket before Hasan was caught three short of his century.
One of Bangladesh’s leading batters, Al Hasan had scored 5,243 ODI runs before this innings, including seven centuries, and his 97 in this innings came off 121 balls (with six fours).
Mushfiqur Rahim powered his side through to a competitive score of 279-4 off their 50 overs, with the experienced batter adding two sixes and three fours to his 62 ODI sixes as he smashed 30 runs off just 11 balls.
Iqbal ended the innings on 130 not out off 160 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes – his 10th ODI century.
Ashley Nurse was the most economical of the West Indies bowlers, his 10 overs costing just 39 runs (econ 3.90) and he conceded just one boundary, which was also the first six of the game, hit over long on by Iqbal.
Set more than 5.5 runs to the over to win, the West Indies batters struggled to keep the runs flowing, despite a solid partnership of 40 between Chris Gayle (who was run out for 40 off 60 balls, with one four and two sixes) and Shimron Hetmyer.
Hetmyer was later caught for 52 off a rather pedestrian 78 balls, including five fours, in the 36th over, as the West Indies stumbled along to 141-5. It was the 21-year-old’s first ODI half-century, having scored his maiden ODI ton against the UAE back in March.
The last-wicket pair of Devendra Bishoo and Alzarri Joseph offered stubborn resistance at the end of the innings, refusing to take defeat lying down. They batted their side from 172-9 off 40.4 overs (more than 100 runs short of their target) through to a far more respectable 231-9 off their 50 overs, gaining a psychological advantage by reducing their match deficit to below 50 runs.
Bishoo ended undefeated on 29 off 40 (with three fours) while No 11 batter Joseph was also on 29 not out at the close, his runs having come off just 21 balls, striking two fours and two sixes.
Mashrafe Mortaza was a sensation with the ball, picking up 4-37 off his 10 overs. Mustafizur Rahman (2-35, econ 4.37) picked up the key wicket of Hetmyer and followed it up by having Rovman Powell caught behind off the next ball for a golden duck. Mehidy Hasan Miraz (10-0-37-1) also played his part by bowling economically to keep the West Indies well below the required run rate as the Bangladesh Tigers took a 1-0 lead at the start of the three-match ODI series.
Photo: Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty Images
