BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Bangladesh had an easy work out in effecting a 36-run victory over Barbados in their first warm-up match for the ICC World Twenty20 Championship yesterday at the Kensington Oval.
Barbados won the toss and chose to bowl but that was their only genuine success of the day as they provided Bangladesh with modest opposition, allowing them to post 166 for five.
In reply, Barbados could only manage 130 for three from their 20 overs despite an even, unbeaten half-century from captain Ryan Hinds and 45 not out from Jonathan Carter.
The visitors made use of the power play fielding restrictions to post an opening stand of 64 before Mohammad Ashraful who made 35 from as many balls with four fours and one six, was brilliantly caught by Alcindo Holder off Carlos Brathwaite, running in from the cover boundary and diving full length.
The next wicket did not fall until some 53 runs later when opener Imrul Kayes, who survived a spill on 52, eventually perished for 57 from 35 balls with four fours and three commanding sixes, as he was taken by wicketkeeper Carlo Morris off the first legal ball from Martin Nurse at the start of the 15th over.
There was a wobble in the Bangladeshi line up as two more wickets fell with the score on 139 but not before Aftab Ahmed punched a brisk 26 from 21 balls with one four and one six.
Nurse removed the Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hassan for 11 caught by Javon Searles in the deep for his third wicket as he ended with best figures of three for 21 off his four overs.
Barbados’ run chase never materialized and slowed to a crawl after Rashidi Boucher failed to get off the mark, gifting his wicket for a three-ball duck as he pulled one to Ashraful at backward square off Mashrafe Motarza with the score on one.
Martin Nurse was caught Imrul bowled Abdur Razzak for 18 trying to up the mounting scoring rate and his replacement Kirk Edwards never looked the part and was put out of his misery by Rubel Hossain when he was bowled for eight.
With too many runs and too few balls remaining, Carter produced a last ditch cameo but his 45 from 29 balls with two crisp fours and three pugnacious sixes was not matched by his captain Hinds who was satisfied with a quiet 50 from 49 balls with five deft fours, as the pair batted out the innings.
