ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – A career-best bowling performance from Kemar Roach was overshadowed by another feeble batting display from West Indies which handed Bangladesh a 52-run victory in the first One-day International yesterday.
Chasing 247 for victory from their allocation of 50 overs, West Indies made Windsor Park’s first international match a sad occasion for the scores of Dominicans that attended, when they were dismissed for 194 in 43.4 overs.
Devon Smith hit three boundaries in the top score of 65 from 84 balls, Dave Bernard Jr supported with 38 from 62, and towards the end, Darren Sammy gathered 28 from 38 balls, and Rawl Lewis 21 from 25 balls.
West Indies were again undermined by the Bangladesh spinners with left-armer Abdur Razzak leading the way with four wickets for 39 runs from 9.4 overs to earn the Man-of-the-Match award.
The result leaves West Indies trailing 0-1 in the three-match series which continues tomorrow at the same venue before concluding this coming Friday at St. Kitts’ Warner Park.
Roach, playing his third ODI, had collected five wickets for 44 runs from 10 overs, as Bangladesh, sent in to bat, reached 246 for nine from their 50 overs.
Despite Roach’s effort, Mohammad Ashraful hit the top score of 57 from 95 balls, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan made 54 from 60 balls, Mahmudullah got 42 from 39 balls, and Junaid Siddique added 36 from 47 balls to lead the Tigers to their highest total in 14 ODIs against West Indies.
But West Indies started disastrously, when they slumped to 23 for three inside the first 10 overs when statutory fielding restrictions are applied.
Dale Richards again looked clueless against the spin and was lbw to Abdur Razzak for one in the second over.
Andre Fletcher, who kept wicket for West Indies, was bowled for five in the third over, when he chopped on a delivery from Syed Rasel.
Then West Indies captain Floyd Reifer continued to look like a shadow of himself before he was caught at backward point off Mahmudullah for three slicing an extravagant drive.
Things got progressively worse, when Travis Dowlin was bowled for 10 by Razzak to leave West Indies 42 for four in the 12th over.
Dave Bernard Jr joined Devon Smith and they brought some stability to the batting with a stand of 78 for the fifth wicket.
Smith reached his 50 from 65 balls, when he drove Shakib Al Hasan to mid-on for a single, but just when West Indies looked to be getting back on track, the left-handed batsman was lbw to the same bowler in the 29th over.
Bernard was caught at deep mid-wicket off Naeem Islam in the 32nd over to leave West Indies 130 for six.
Lewis joined Sammy, and revived West Indies in a stand of 41 for the seventh wicket before he was bowled by Rubel Hossain in the 40th over to effectively leave the home team’s hopes in tatters.
Earlier, Roach made an impact right from the start, when he had Tamim Iqbal caught behind off the first ball of the match before a stand of 74 for the second wicket between Siddique and Ashraful got Bangladesh moving.
Bernard then had Siddique caught at mid-off in the 17th over before Roach returned for a short burst and bowled Raqibul Hasan for 12 to leave Bangladesh 97 for three in the 24th over.
West Indies bowled tightly to restrict the Bangladesh batsmen in the middle overs, but Ashraful reached his 50 from 83 balls when he drove Nikita Miller to mid-on for a single in the 29th over.
Fortune smiled on West Indies, when Ashraful came down with a bout of cramps and was limited in his mobility which led to his run out in the 31st over by a throw from Reifer at mid-wicket to the wicketkeeper.
Rawl Lewis then added to Bangladesh’s pain, when Mushfiqur Rahim was caught at cover for 11 to leave the Tigers 149 for five in the 36th over.
West Indies were then put on their heels, when Mahmudullah joined Shakib and added 79 for the sixth wicket before he was caught at backward point off Miller in the 43rd over.
Roach came back for a final spell and he helped clamp down on the scoring in the closing overs, as Bangladesh added just 21 runs for the loss of three more wickets.