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Zimbabwe’s batting has improved with each outing this series, and today they kept their hopes alive with a victory that brought Bangladesh’s winning run to a screeching halt. On a flat batting track the hosts briefly threatened to combust in another jittery display from the top order, but Hamilton Masakadza lit up the innings with a maiden ODI century, supported by a calm Brendan Taylor and a gung-ho Elton Chigumbura. Zimbabwe were in control when Chigumbura joined Taylor in the 39th over, and what proceeded to unfold turned a solid batting act into an exhibition of butchery.

The pair added 90 from 50 balls, Chigumbura racing to his half-century from just 26 balls, and 60 from the batting Powerplay lifted the total to 323, Zimbabwe’s best at the venue and against Bangladesh. In reply, the visitors came up with a batting effort as edgy as Tuesday’s had been powerful, with only Raqibul Hasan and Mahbubul Alam showing any fight.

Early signs indicated this game could be one for the bowlers when Zimbabwe slipped to 17 for 2 and then 60 for 3, but Masakadza and Taylor stood up to be counted. Zimbabwe’s top order will do well to take a few lessons from Masakadza, who assessed the situation smartly, bided his time against the bit of swing Mahbubul got and consolidated in the middle overs. He acted as a glue to guarantee Zimbabwe’s innings didn’t fall apart.

Quick to capitalise on even marginal errors in length, Masakadza stroked delicate drives between cover and backward point off either foot. With Taylor offering cool support the pair counter-attacked in an efficient manner, knocking the ball into the gaps and not trying to play the spinners too safely – a factor that had stifled Zimbabwe in the series opener. Boundaries didn’t flow – at one stage Zimbabwe went 11 overs without finding the ropes – but the run rate rarely dropped. The pair regularly spoke mid-pitch, no doubt stressing in the fact that all that was required was levelheaded batting, and that a wicket would put too much pressure on those to follow.

After a long absence playing cricket in England, Taylor came back strongly with a fluent half-century. He complimented his senior partner with an innings that relied solidly on on-side play. He judged singles superbly and his half-century came up from 62 balls without a boundary.

When Mahbubul came back to bowl the 35th over, Masakadza dumped him over midwicket for six to go past his previous best of 87. Two balls after bringing up three figures, Masakadza was bowled for 102, but the final chapter of the innings was adrenalin-fueled. Taylor picked his first four in the 40th over, a deft late cut, and Chigumbura was quickly into his stride, slamming a six over long-on and slashing through point.

An amazing one-handed six over extra cover by Taylor followed as Shakib returned, prompting Zimbabwe to take the batting Powerplay after 44 overs. Hitting cleanly through the line with meaty power and excellent timing, Chigumbura had Bangladesh scurrying for cover as the tone of the game changed dramatically, despite Taylor’s run out on 94. Whether it was pace or spin he backed his game, making room to hit through the line and depositing the ball over long-off and long-on. In the previous game, Chigumbura came down at No. 9 – today a promotion proved an excellent move.

Battered in the field, Bangladesh needed a commanding start but the top order’s approach snuffed those hopes. Tamim Iqbal poked the first ball loosely to first slip, Naeem Islam lost his leg stump to a wild slog against Chigumbura and Mohammad Ashraful, for the umpteenth time, skied to third man. The pressure mounted on the in-form Shakib but it proved too much. Immediately after swinging Chigumbura for six, Shakib tried the aerial route only to top edge to point, leaving Raqibul and Mushfiqur Rahim to salvage an increasingly hopeless situation.

With 324 to win, Bangladesh had to take some chances and Raqibul enjoyed a slice of luck on 9 when Prosper Utseya dropped a tough catch at cover-point. Mushfiqur targeted Masakadza’s gentle medium pace, going over the top for six and four in successive overs. It was an encouraging period of smart batting that briefly offered Bangladesh a glimmer of hope, as the pair added 68 at nearly a run a ball. Ray Price varied his pace to check the runs and the frustration resulted in Mushfiqur holing out to long-on, after which he took out Mahmudullah. Raqibul flayed the bat after crossing his sixth ODI fifty and Mahbubul picked up three successive sixes in a maiden half-century, but they were only delaying the inevitable.

Zimbabwes Charles Coventry equalled the highest individual One-day International score on Sunday, but it also became the highest ODI score in a losing cause. Coventrys big-hitting party was gatecrashed by Tamim Iqbal, who helped Bangladesh wrap up the five-match series 3-1 on Sunday.
Coventry blasted an unbeaten 194 to equal former Pakistan opener Saeed Anwars 12-year record as Zimbabwe piled up 312-8 in their 50 overs. But Bangladesh opener Tamim then hit his countrys highest individual score of 154 as the tourists took victory with 13 balls to spare.
Coventry, playing his 15th ODI, dominated Zimbabwes innings with the next highest score being a modest 37. Coventry hit seven sixes and accelerated from 129 in the 42nd over to 180 in the 47th as fans wondered if he would become the first player in history to hit a ODI double century. But he had to settle for a share of Anwars record, although Bangladesh could have dismissed him earlier when Mahmudullah dropped him at square leg on 137.

Shakib Al Hasan starred with a delightfully aggressive ton to charge Bangladesh to their highest ODI score. Tamim Iqbal laid the platform with a patient half-century before Shakib took over to set a mammoth target for Zimbabwe in the second ODI in Bulawayo.

The innings lacked in momentum before Shakib imposed himself on the proceedings with a typically feisty knock. A disciplined bowling effort by Zimbabwe combined with cautious batting saw Bangladesh reach only 108 for 1 by 25 overs but Shakib ensured that they finished strongly.

The feature of his innings was his skill in repeatedly picking the gaps: there were quite a few hits over extra cover, a few to the straight boundary and many swings to midwicket region. He started carefully, dealing in singles and twos to reach 15, before breaking free with two pulled boundaries. The explosion started in the 38th over bowled by the part-time spinner Sean Williams with Shakib, who was denied the services of a runner just prior to the over, swinging twice over midwicket boundary. He went on to crash Ray Price to the straight boundary before lifting Prosper Utseya over long-off and twice over extra-cover as he made full use of the batting Powerplay.

He was aided by some poor fielding effort as he was dropped twice in the inner circle: when he was on 59, Stuart Matsikenyeri spilled a sitter at midwicket off an attempted reverse-sweep against Utseya and when he was on 71, Price dropped another dolly off a top-edged paddle-sweep.

Shakib went berserk after the twin drops. He looted 19 runs, with the help of three boundaries that included a stunning six over long-off, in the 44th over bowled by Chamu Chibhaba and proceeded to indulge himself. He brought up the hundred in 63 balls and celebrated it with a cheeky scoop shot against Ed Rainsford before he was run out going for the third run after Mushfiqur Rahim had slashed to deep point. Rahim sought to make amends for his mistake by indulging in some big hitting in the end to push Bangladesh well past 300.

The platform was laid earlier in the day by Tamim who struck a serene partnership with Junaid Siddique at the top of the order. Only four fours came in the first fifteen overs and only one boundary was hit in the air. It not only reflected the intent of the batsmen but also the lines and length bowled by the new-ball bowlers Elton Chigumbura and Rainsford.

Chigumbura tended to hit short of the length and slipped in the occasional short delivery, while Rainsford hit the good length and generally brought the ball back into the left-handed batsmen. There were a few free four-balls that Siddique took toll of, but for the main part, the two seamers were steady. If there was to be any criticism, it has to be said that they perhaps strayed to the middle and leg line a touch too often against Tamim, which shows up in his wagon wheel: Tamim picked 48 runs on the on side.

For their part, the batsmen were absolutely focused on playing themselves in before going for their shots. Tamim, who received more short balls than Siddique, stayed adjacent to the line and punched the singles and twos to the leg side. There was a glide to the fine-leg boundary but the shot of his stay was a neat adjustment he showed against Chibhabha: He had shaped to cover-drive but adjusted to the slow pace by waiting a touch and gliding it to the third-man boundary.

Siddique unfurled a couple of off-side boundaries and also hit a big shot, hitting Chigumbura over mid-on and was looking good when he was run out. He pushed Utseya, who brought himself on in the 11th over, to the left of short midwicket, was caught in a yes-no situation with Tamim and couldn’t get back to his crease in time. Tamim, himself, was run out soon in a comical fashion. He had missed to connect a leg-side delivery but was stranded in the middle due to a faulty call from Shakib and was easily run out by the keeper. However, it didn’t prove to be a major set back as Shakib set the stadium ablaze with his power-hitting.

A disciplined bowling performance restricted Zimbabwe to a below-par 207 before Mohammad Ashraful led the chase with a breezy ton to help Bangladesh clinch a facile win in the first ODI in Bulawayo. Mark Vermeulen hit a fluent 92 on his comeback after five years but didn’t find much support from his team-mates.

On an easy-paced track, Bangladesh didn’t have any problems against the weak Zimbabwean attack. Ashraful built on a good platform laid by Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique; he never looked in any problem and took a special liking to the left-arm spin of Ray Price. In the 15th over, bowled by Price, he hit four boundaries including a handsome six over long-on.

It was an imperious performance as he moved down the track and backed away outside leg stump to force errors from Price. The best shot was a neat inside-out lofted drive over extra cover off Price. He also played some delightful shots to the seamers, the highlight of which was a neat swivel pull off Hamilton Masakadza. He brought up his third ODI hundred with a delicate late cut off Mazakadza. It was his day; not only did he pick up a wicket off the first ball he bowled but also brought up 3000 ODI runs.

Ashraful’s task was made easier by the brisk start provided by the openers. Tamim started off with two fours in the first over – a cut and an off drive – but it was Siddique who started off like a runaway express against Chamu Chibhaba. He hit three successive off-side boundaries in the second over, a caressed cover drive being the highlight, and followed it with two successive boundaries in the fourth over before hitting one straight to mid-off.

Prosper Utseya introduced spin as early as the sixth over, bringing himself on, but neither he nor Price could pose any problems as Tamim and Ashraful eased themselves with several classy drives and cuts.

The victory was set up earlier by some disciplined bowling from the Bangladesh. Only Vermeulen resisted the disciplined attack with a degree of comfort. He has a troubled past and last played for Zimbabwe in 2004 but today put on a pleasing show as he caressed his way to a fine half-century. His best shot came in the 12th over against Nazmul Hossain when he stood tall to play a punchy cover drive, one of the many off-side shots he hit. Vermeulen has been always strong off the back foot and today was no different.

He repeatedly rocked back to punch the ball on either side of the square. There was a delicate late-cut boundary against Shakib Al Hasan which stood out in his play against the spinners. He was a touch lucky to survive a palpable shout for lbw when Shakib rapped him on the pads with an arm ball and he was also dropped by Nazmul at deep midwicket off the same bowler. However, Vermeulen shrugged it off and proceeded to look comfortable against spin and seam. Post fifty, he grew more cautious and proceeded to deal in singles and looked set for a hundred when he was run out eight runs short of the landmark.

There wasn’t much support from his team-mates barring, to an extent, Brendan Taylor. Taylor started off with a flicked four but the shot of his stay was a firm cover drive for three against Syed Rasel. He nudged his way around and was beginning to build a partnership when he was adjudged lbw against Shakib when he perhaps got an inside edge.

Bangladesh’s disciplined bowling fetched them two early wickets. Rasel induced an edge from Masakadza in the first over with a delivery that shaped away while Nazmul coaxed Chibhaba into nicking behind. Elton Chigumbura threw his bat in the end to get some handy runs in the batting Powerplay but Zimbabwe fell short of a competitive score.

Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson compiled more in a single second-wicket stand of 119 than England’s entire line-up managed in 33.5 overs of abject surrender, as Australia built on the efforts of their four-man seam attack to seize control of the crucial fourth Test at Headingley. Though England battled back in the final session by claiming three wickets in as many overs, including Ponting for 78, nothing could gloss over their humiliation in the opening exchanges of the day. A single pitiful session could well have cost them their chance to reclaim the Ashes.

Shorn of the services of Andrew Flintoff, whose damaged right knee failed to respond to treatment, and already lacking the aggression and presence that Kevin Pietersen brings to their middle-order, England went into a Test without either of their kingpin players for the first time since the tour of Bangladesh in October 2003, and duly played in a manner befitting their opponents of six years ago. They had been handed a late fitness scare when Matt Prior suffered a pre-toss back spasm, which required the toss to be delayed by ten minutes as England finalised their starting XI, and the bewilderment in their ranks was as plain as it had been at 5 o’clock that morning, when a fire alarm at the team hotel had left them shivering in the Leeds drizzle during a mass evacuation.

For most of the summer, Australia have been the team seemingly lacking in direction, but with a sniff of uncertainty in their opponents’ ranks, they at last had a bowling attack to exploit the situation. The decision to recall Stuart Clark for his first Test of the summer, in place of the spinner Nathan Hauritz, was a gamble that paid rich dividends. He marked his comeback with a pre-lunch spell of 3 for 7 in 6.5 overs, while Peter Siddle followed up after the break with 4 for 3 in 14 balls, to finish with the stand-out figures of 5 for 21. Each of the four bowlers claimed at least one wicket, with Ben Hilfenhaus desperately unlucky not to have pinned Andrew Strauss lbw with the very first ball of the match.

As it turned out, Strauss survived a mere 17 balls before squirting a fat edge off Siddle to Marcus North at third slip, whose stunning one-handed reflex catch was the catalyst for the performance that followed. Strauss had spent the final minutes before the start fretting over the fitness of Prior, who injured his back while playing football in the warm-ups, leaving Jonathan Trott on the verge of a debut and Paul Collingwood pencilled in for the wicketkeeping duties, and his mind was evidently some way from the action in the middle. The confirmation of Flintoff’s lack of fitness ended up being the very least of his worries.

In the event, the only England batsman to show any spine was none other than Prior, who was out in the middle at least two sessions sooner than he might have anticipated, but gritted his way to 37 not out from 43 balls before running out of partners. One other batsman managed double figures – Alastair Cook, who was the mainstay of a flimsy top order with 30 from 65 balls – while the middle-order triumvirate of Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell and Collingwood showed worrying shortcomings in temperament and technique respectively.

Hilfenhaus accounted for Bopara, earning due reward for his line, length and consistent swing when Michael Hussey collected a loose back-foot punch in the gully, and at 16 for 2, the stage was hardly set for the fragile Bell to make his mark. Mitchell Johnson responded to his arrival with his best and most hostile spell of the series. Threatening to bend the ball back into the right-hander at will, and finding a superb line to complement his subtle changes of length, Johnson tormented Bell’s outside edge before slipping in a wicked bouncer that was gloved through to Brad Haddin.

Next in the procession was Collingwood, whose returns have faded alarmingly since his match-saving performance at Cardiff in the first Test. He couldn’t negotiate Clark’s sharp outswing, which he prodded limply to Ponting at second slip for a fifth-ball duck, and Clark claimed his second scalp in the space of 11 balls when Cook’s resistance ended with a low edge to Michael Clarke at first slip.

Prior did his best to rally the innings in his standard counter-punching style, but Stuart Broad found the going extremely tough in his over-promoted position of No. 7, and was extracted on the stroke of lunch when Katich at short leg scooped Clark’s third of the innings. Then it was over to Siddle to make mincemeat of a tail that had wagged regularly in the series so far, but was unable to make any headway at all with the momentum all in the bowlers’ favour. Graeme Swann laboured to a 15-ball duck which ended with a snick to first slip, while Harmison – back in the side at Flintoff’s expense – edged to the keeper to notch the 20th duck of his career, an England record he now shares with Mike Atherton.

James Anderson did at least manage to extend his duckless run to 53 innings, but the scampered single that preserved his world record culminated in a leg injury that visibly reduced his subsequent effectiveness with the ball. He and Graham Onions were bounced from the crease in consecutive Siddle deliveries, whereupon Shane Watson clattered Anderson’s first two deliveries of the reply through point for a brace of fours in a style reminiscent of Michael Slater. Though Harmison responded by extracting Katich at leg gully with the fourth ball of his comeback, Ponting emerged to put his personal seal on the day with a smouldering and initiative-seizing cameo.

Once again, Ponting came to the crease to a chorus of boos, but true to form, he turned the animosity to his advantage. Latching onto the slightest error in length, he pulled Onions’ first ball through midwicket for six, in an over that eventually went for 17 runs, as Australia’s fifty was brought up in just 39 deliveries. Ponting’s only let-off en route to his 63-ball half-century came on 32, when Bell missed a shy from the covers that would have run him out by five yards.

For as long as he and Watson were in tandem, Australia’s dominance was absolute. Watson, revelling in his new opener’s role, cracked his third half-century in as many innings, and battered Harmison for four fours in nine balls as England’s bowlers completely forgot about the virtues of line and length. But then, almost without warning, they finally remembered to pitch the ball up, and with a hint of movement around that habitual 30-over mark, they succeeded in stemming the tide.

First to strike was Onions, who pinned Watson lbw for 51 as he whipped across the line, whereupon Broad – for the first time this summer – opted to follow suit. Twice in four balls he angled the ball in from a full length, first to end Ponting’s stay on 78, and then to remove Hussey before he could get going. England created opportunities as the shadows lengthened, not least when Harmison, in a furious final spell, cracked Michael Clarke on the helmet and the glove from consecutive deliveries. But by the close, Australia’s hold on the Ashes was looking as sprightly as it has done since Cardiff.

ICC Vice-President and Chairman of the Central Organising Committee Sharad Pawar: “The unveiling of the logo is an exciting and significant landmark as the event now has a formal identity.”

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat: “The ICC Cricket World Cup is the game’s biggest and greatest showcase with nation-versus-nation action and a rich history stretching back to 1975.. We must now write the next page of that history to show our great sport in the best possible light.”

A celebration of cricket – that is the idea behind the event logo for the ICC Cricket World Cup (ICC CWC) 2011, unveiled at a ceremony in Mumbai on Tuesday evening.

Designed by Australian creative firm Witekite, one of 12 companies from all over the world that submitted concepts, the logo, in the shape of a cricket ball, is intended to reflect all that is best about cricket in the sub-continent – colour, movement and action.

And the design is also based on the idea of the supporters and players from the host nations, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, coming together and joining the rest of the world to create a special event.

It will be used on an ongoing basis to stimulate awareness and interest in the tournament over the next two years and will feature on publicity and promotional material both during the build-up and throughout what will be the tenth ICC Cricket World Cup.

The unveiling was attended by the ICC Vice-President and Chairman of the tournament’s Central Organising Committee Sharad Pawar, ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and Tournament Director Professor Ratnakar Shetty.

And also present were ICC Cricket World Cup heroes from the past – Clive Lloyd, who led the West Indies to victory in the first two editions in 1975 and 1979, Sri Lanka’s Aravinda de Silva, man of the match for an unbeaten 107 and 3-42 in the 1996 final, Michael Bevan of Australia, regarded as one of the greatest One-Day International players of all time and a key member of the side that won in 1999 and 2003, Dilip Vengsarkar and Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who were integral components of the India side that denied the West Indies a hat-trick of World Cup titles in 1983, and present-day stars Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma.

ICC Vice-President and Chairman of the Central Organising Committee for the ICC CWC 2011 Sharad Pawar said: “The announcement of the event logo is an exciting and significant landmark for all of us involved in preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and the whole cricket world.

“The event now has a formal identity which we can look to build upon and use to stimulate interest and awareness as 2011 draws closer.

“We now need to build on this and press on in our preparations to ensure the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is the success that we all want it to be.”

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “We are delighted with the event logo for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 as it sums up the nature of our great sport in the host nations through its vibrancy, colour and action. It is something we want everyone to become familiar with over the next two years.

“We see those characteristics in every match that takes place in the region and we have also seen them in the two previous ICC Cricket World Cups there, in 1987 and 1996. Both were staged successfully and we look forward to the 2011 edition being no different.

“Those previous tournaments and the cricketing greats with us in Mumbai are reminders of the rich history of the ICC Cricket World Cup, stretching back to 1975 when Clive Lloyd led the West Indies to the inaugural title in a thrilling final against Australia at Lord’s.

“The ICC Cricket World Cup is the game’s biggest and greatest showcase, bringing together as it does teams from all over the world in nation-versus-nation action. And it is also the event that generates the majority of the revenue used by our Members to grow our global game.

“What we must now seek to do through hard work is to write the next page of the event’s history by ensuring the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is something that shows our great sport with its great spirit in the best possible light.”

Witekite’s design of the event logo was the unanimous choice of a selection panel made up of representatives of the host nations, ICC management and stakeholders.

The event logo story – a celebration of cricket

The crowd is part of the action, hands up and cheering and shouting for their heroes. The circular shape makes a cricket ball hurtling down the pitch, seam up. Different player silhouettes and the crowd form a pattern around the seam.

The green seam indicates the one day ball and the green of the pitch and ground. The players and crowd surround this with motion and activity. The colours and figures on each side of the ball represent the event host nations coming together along with the world of cricket.

The colour and movement creates a festival, players and fans coming together from around the world to celebrate cricket in the sub-continent.

Finally, West Indies won a game. Bangladesh imploded spectacularly at the top but they kept playing like millionaires to be restricted to a below-par 118, which West Indies overhauled without breaking a sweat.

 The only concern in the chase was whether West Indies would collapse against spin and Bangladesh didn’t wait long to find out. They started with a double-spin attack and Shakib Al Hasan claimed the wicket of Dale Richards first ball, but Devon Smith thwarted them with his aggressive batting.

 Smith started with a slog-swept six off the offspinner Naeem Islam and followed it next ball with a skillful inside-out lofted drive over covers, before taking on Mahmudullah in the third over. Three pulls, one of them a six, helped him take 15 in that over and eased the pressure of the early wicket. Though Smith fell 50 short of the target, and West Indies lost a couple more cheaply towards the end, Travis Dowlin took over to lead the hosts past the line. Dowlin knew the required rate wasn’t steep enough to warrant any risks and he played accordingly. He did hit four boundaries, with a lofted hit over extra cover off Mehrab Hossain jnr being the highlight, but took care not to play many flashy shots. The same couldn’t be said about Bangladesh, though.

 Bangladesh charged ahead with a sense of fatal adventure, which was caught perfectly in the run-out of Naeem, their highest scorer today. He missed a sweep against David Bernard and the ball went straight to the keeper but he nevertheless tried to steal a single, only to be found miles short of his ground. Till then, Naeem had been dispatching the ball to all parts of the ground. He walked down the track to smack Darren Sammy over deep midwicket, moved outside leg to thump Gavin Tonge over long-off before collecting more boundaries with sweeps and pulls.

 Before Naeem, there was more frenetic drama. Bangladesh came out oozing so much intent that something had to give. And it did. Three wickets fell in the first 14 deliveries: Junaid Siddique spooned a slower one to cover, Mohammad Ashraful played a weak lap shot for a first-ball duck, and Tamim Iqbal flicked to short midwicket. The score read 12 for 3 but Naeem was in no mood to buckle down. Shakib Al Hasan started a touch slowly but soon caught the Naeem spirit and unfurled slog-sweeps before he was cleaned up by Nikita Miller, bowled round his legs.

 After Naeem, there was more chaos. Mushfiqur Rahim, who had moved cautiously to 3 in nine deliveries, ran himself out with some poor running. Responding to a push to point for a single, he jogged across and would have still made it had he not tried to plonk his bat lethargically inside the crease. Raqibul Hasan missed a straight ball and was trapped in front.

 It was left to Mahmudullah, who had performed well with bat and ball through this tour, and Mehrab, to an extent, to show some caution and push the score past 100, which eventually proved inadequate.

Bangladesh held their nerve despite wobbles at significant junctures to complete a whitewash in St Kitts. Set a target of 249, they were given a fiery start by Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique before Mahmudullah steered the side through nervy moments to clinch a historic victory.

 Things were looking a touch dicey for Bangladesh at 133 for 5 in the 28th over but they recovered through a serene partnership between Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, the wicketkeeper. It was almost risk-free cricket as the duo picked singles quietly and stole the odd boundary here and there to get closer to the target. Importantly, they knew the batting Powerplay could be taken later when acceleration was the need of the hour; till then it was time to play safe cricket. Mushfiqur picked up a couple of boundaries in the 38th over but he was unlucky to be given out out caught behind in the 40 th over, when replays showed he did not get bat on a flick down the pads.

 Bangladesh opted for the batting Powerplay in the 44th over and immediately Naeem Islam smoked three boundaries off Gavin Donge. Two shuffled flicks followed a biff down the ground and the required rate dipped. Mahmudullah picked a six over long-off against Nikita Miller and Naeem hit another six, off Kemar Roach, before falling to the same bowler but by then the pair had ensured that they made full use of the Powerplay to clinch the win. West Indies were left to rue the first-ball reprieve that they offered to Mahmudullah when Darren Sammy spilled a catch at first slip.

 Just as they finished strongly, Bangladesh had started their chase brightly. Tamim, in particular, was in some hurry, rattling three fours in the first over before repeating the dose in the third. The kind of shots also pointed to the poor bowling. Three were flicked fours and the other three were carved over point as Roach sprayed it around. Tamim later swung Sammy over long-off before smashing one straight to mid-on.

 His opening partner, Siddique, kept the momentum going with a measured innings. He started with a series of on-side boundaries against Tonge before he settled down to drop anchor as a couple of wickets fell. Mohammad Ashraful edged one behind, Raqibul Hasan was caught brilliantly by a diving Floyd Reifer in the covers and Shakib Al Hasan, who started with a flurry of shots, edged an attempted pull but Siddique batted on serenely. Though he got out after reaching fifty, Bangladesh had enough firepower to get past the line.

 West Indies lacked similar firepower in the middle as they wasted a good start provided by Andre Fletcher. As they have done in the Tests and the ODIs, West Indies continued to struggle against the spinners. They lost two quick wickets, proceeded to recover smartly through a breezy fifty from Fletcher, only to lose their way against spin and be bowled out for 248 inside 50 overs.

 A poor finish was in contrast to the great start provided by Fletcher. What stood out in Fletcher’s innings was a delightful tendency to drive straight. Mahbubul Alam was getting some outswing and was looking pretty good but Fletcher countered him with his drives in the v. He started off with an off drive in the third over and upped the tempo in the fifth with two sixes: the first one was dispatched over long-off before he swung the other some 20 rows over the long-on boundary. Neither shot had any touch of violence as he covered for the outswing and drove cleanly and fluently through the line. Mahbubul lost his composure and in the seventh over, he pushed three deliveries on the legs of Fletcher, who put them away for boundaries.

 With the seamers bleeding runs, the action swung to Fletcher versus the spinners. Again, Fletcher won the first round, reeling off several meaty blows. There was a back-foot punch through the covers, a customary swing over long-on and a heave to the midwicket boundary, which brought up his fifty, against Abdur Razzak but he fell soon, launching one straight to long-on. Almost immediately, the run-rate dropped as Bangladesh applied the squeeze. More agony lay in store for the hosts as Travis Dowlin, who gave admirable support to Fletcher, was run out on the last ball of the 25th over.

 It didn’t help West Indies’ cause that their captain Reifer’s travails against spin continued. He couldn’t rotate the strike and it perhaps, led to Dowlin’s dismissal. He was allowed some breathing space by Sammy, who oozed intent from the start and kept unfurling the big hits. He swung Mahmudullah for two consecutive sixes and belted Naeem for a couple of fours but he fell rather tamely, scooping a caught-and-bowled chance to Razzak. That was the final nail on the coffin as West Indies fell short of achieving a defendable target. .

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