BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – An unbroken 144-run, seventh wicket stand between captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Nasir Hossain, rescued Bangladesh on the opening day of their three-day tour match against St Kitts and Nevis here yesterday.
Opting to bat first, the visitors slumped to 92 for four and the 186 for six at tea before Mushfiqur and Nasir rallied the innings with positive unbeaten half-centuries in the final session at Warner Park.
Mushfiqur struck 81 off 126 balls in just over three hours at the crease with five fours and three sixes while Nasir faced 122 balls in 2-1/2 hours batting, while counting six fours and two sixes.
Shuvagata Hom chipped in with 48 while Imrul Kayes scored 44 and Mahmudullah, 27.
Seamers Quinton Boatswain (2-35) and Jeremiah Louis (2-36) were the pick of the bowlers with two wickets apiece.
Winning the toss and batting with the first Test starting next Saturday in mind, Bangladesh were rocked by some hostile fast bowling from Boatswain and Louis, as they lost early wickets.
The 23-year-old Boatswain, a West Indies High Performance Centre graduate who has played four first class matches for Leeward Islands, produced four sharp, aggressive spells to trouble the opposing batsmen.
He knocked over Shamsur Rahman for ten, having him brilliantly caught left-handed down the leg-side by teenaged wicketkeeper Jaeel Clarke.
Boatswain’s second scalp was Imrul Kayes caught at midwicket off the leading edge, after the left-hander with 17 Tests behind his name had struck four fours in a 60-ball innings.
Louis, tall, bustling with a jerky action, also got the ball to lift awkwardly on the flat surface, and accounted for dangerman Tamim Iqbal caught behind for 20 and Monimul Haque, who edged an out-swinger to third slip for ten.
Languishing at 92 for four, Mahmudullah and Shuvagata then added 46 before Shuvagata and Mushfiqur added exactly 50, to begin the rally.
Scoreboard
BANGLADESH 1st Innings
Tamim Iqbal c wkp Clarke b Louis 20
Shamsur Rahman c wkp Clarke b Boatswain 10
Imrul Kayes c Berridge b Boatswain 44
Monimul Haque c Ward b Louis 10
Mohammad Mahmudullah c Ward b Berridge 27
Shuvagata Hom run out 48
*+Mushfiqur Rahim not out 82
Nasir Hossain not out 78
Extras (lb5, w3, nb3) 11
TOTAL (6 wkts, 95 overs) 330
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-45, 3-60, 4-92, 5-138, 6-186.
Bowling: Sheeno Berridge 9-0-46-0, Boatswain 17-7-35-2, Willett 12-5-28-0, Louis 17-7-36-2, Elvin Berridge 15-3-56-1, Ward 9-0-53-1, Martinez 3-0-17-0, Taylor 6-1-23-0, Jeffers 7-1-32-0.
ST KITTS & NEVIS – Jacques Taylor (captain), Elvin Berridge, Shino Berridge, Quinton Boatswain, Shiv Chanderpaul, Jaeel Clarke (wicket-keeper), Tristan Handley, Javal Hodge, Shane Jeffers, Jeremiah Lewis, Shaquille Martina, Terrence Ward, Tonito Willett.
Toss: Bangladesh.
Umpires: Nigel Duguid, Peter Nero.
