Bangladesh Break Record As They Demolish West Indies

Bangladesh Break Record As They Demolish West Indies

Anamul Haque (centre) became the third Bangladeshi to hit a ODI century before his 20th birthday.

©WICB Media

Bangladesh 292-6 (Haque 120) beat
West Indies 132 (Razzak 3-19) by 160 runs
Second One-Day International, Khulna
Scorecard
Report by Daniel Grummitt

Bangladesh recorded their biggest ever win in terms of runs in One-Day Internationals as they thrashed West Indies by 160 in Khulna.

Anamul Haque set things up with a mature 120 and added 174 with Mushfiqur Rahim to help the hosts recover from a shaky start. Sohag Gazi and Abdur Razzak then each took three wickets as West Indies imploded for 132 in the run chase.

West Indies had started well as their opening bowlers made the most of some early moisture in the pitch to remove Tamim Iqbal and Naeem Islam cheaply. Both departed to short deliveries, with Tamim pulling one from Andre Russell to Kieron Pollard at deep square-leg and Naeem fending one to Sunil Narine at short fine-leg.

With the moisture from the pitch rapidly evaporating in the heat of the Khulna day, the West Indies inexplicably began to bowl a fuller length. Darren Sammy did drop Mushfiqur Rahim when the diminutive right-hander had scored just eight, but, other than that, he and Anamul Haque were scarcely troubled. 

Half volleys from the seamers were repeatedly dispatched to the boundary, while the slower bowlers didn’t fare much better. Sunil Narine continued his disappointing tour and barely posed a threat during his ten overs, which went for 48, while Marlon Samuels (none for 50 from seven) and Dwayne Smith (none for 46 from nine) were just as ineffective.

Anamul Haque brought up his fifty from 60 balls, with Rahim’s five balls quicker. The pair took their third-wicket stand past 150, but began to struggle when the batting powerplay was taken in the 36th over.

Rahim looked uncomfortable when West Indies finally went back to bowling short at him and pulled Rampaul (five for 49) straight to mid-wicket to depart for 74. Haque, meanwhile, became understandably nervous as he approached three figures and spent 23 balls in the 90s before finally pulling Rampaul into the leg-side to become the third Bangladeshi teenager to reach three figures in a ODI.

After a enjoying a brief respite, the West Indies bowlers were soon back under the cosh as 68 runs came off the last five overs. Mominul Haque - another man in only his second game - hit 31 off 29 balls, while Mashrafe Mortaza biffed 18 off only six as the hosts ended on 292 for six.

In truth, West Indies were never in the hunt in their reply and lost regular wickets throughout. Lendl Simmons started the collapse, skying Gazi to mid-off when on nine, with the highest partnership of the innings a miserable 31 between Darren Bravo, who top-scored with 28, and Marlon Samuels for the third-wicket.

Their middle-order were again strangled by the spinners as Sohag Gazi returned figures of three for 21 off 7.1 overs and Abdur Razzak went for just 19 off five, also picking up three wickets.

In spite of strengthening their batting by replacing Kemar Roach with Dwayne Smith, West Indies were all out for 132 to the first ball of the 32nd over to complete what must be one of the most embarrassing defeats in their history - one made all the more so by captain Darren Sammy’s optimistic pre-series predictions.

© Cricket World 2012