DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – Akeal Hosein and Kyle Mayers both impressed on debut but their efforts proved futile, as under-strength West Indies slumped to a six wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the opening One-Day International here yesterday.
A side featuring six debutants could only muster a mediocre 122 off 32.2 overs at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, with left-hander Kyle Mayers top-scoring with a breezy 40 and Rovman Powell chipping in with 28.
West Indies were tottering on 56 for five in the 19th over before Mayers and Powell staged a 59-run, sixth wicket stand to rally the innings.
Left-arm spinner Shakib-al-Hasan, in his first match for Bangladesh since serving a one-year ban, ripped through the innings with a spell of four for eight which earned him Man-of-the-Match honours.
Debutant 21-year-old seamer Hasan Mahmud cleaned up the lower order to finish with three for 28 while fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman claimed both openers to end with two for 20.
In reply, Bangladesh’s run chase was never really in danger but left-arm spinner Hosein rattled the top order with an excellent spell of three for 26 from 10 overs, as the hosts crawled over the line in the 34th over.
Captain Tamim Iqbal top-scored with 44 while Shakib (19) and Mushfiqur Rahim (19 not out) chipped in to seal an easy if not emphatic win.
Asked to bat in chilly, overcast conditions, West Indies lost opener Sunil Ambris for seven in the second over, playing around a full length delivery from Mustafizur, before rain stalled the innings by an hour.
On resumption, Joshua DaSilva departed for nine in the sixth over, well taken at gully off Mustafizur, as West Indies slipped to 24 for two.
Captain Jason Mohammed (17) and Andre McCarthy (12) tried to repair the innings in a third wicket stand of 21 but left-arm spinner Shakib-al-Hasan (4-8) removed both in quick succession, before prising out Nkrumah Bonner without scoring, to leave the innings in strife on 56 for five in the 19th over.
McCarthy’s debut lasted 34 balls before it was ended when he missed a sweep and was bowled and Mohammed, in his first international innings in 2-½ years, stayed around for 36 deliveries before being drawn from his crease and stumped.
Bonner’s debut was fleeting, lasting all of four balls before ending in the 19th over to an lbw verdict.
Mayers counter-attacked by lashing four fours and a six off 56 deliveries, partnering well with Powell who belted a couple of fours and sixes in a 31-ball knock.
The 28-year-old Mayers opened his tally in ODIs with a boundary forward of square off Hasan Mahmud and continued to impress with a sweetly timed cover-driven four off Rubel Hossain and a six over square leg a few balls later.
Powell perished in the 30th over nicking Mahmud behind and Raymon Reifer fell to the very next delivery, trapped lbw on the crease, as West Indies lost their last five wickets for just seven runs.
Mayers was eighth out in the 31st over, caught at first slip edging a prod at off-spinner Mehidy Hasan.
Tamim gave the hosts a bright start to their run chase, punching seven fours off 69 deliveries as he put on 47 for the first wicket with Liton Das (14).
Hosein broke the stand in the 14th over when he bowled Das with a beauty that spun from middle and hit the top of off and three overs later, removed Najmul Hossain for one, to a catch by Mohammed at short mid-wicket.
Tamim then put on 26 for the third wicket with Shakib (19) before he was stumped off Mohammed’s off-spin in the 23rd over and Hosein intervened again in the 28th over with the last ball of his spell, cramping Shakib for room and getting him to play on.
Under no real pressure, however, Mushfiqur (19 not out) anchored two small partnerships to see Banglad
esh home safely.