Bangladesh tour of West Indies 2009

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Fixtures

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Rain delays start to unusual Test

KINGSTOWN: Rain has delayed the start of the eagerly-awaited opening Test between West Indies and Bangladesh at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex here on Thursday.

There is great interest in the Test from around the Caribbean after it appeared to be in serious doubt only 48 hours earlier.

The West Indies Cricket Board were forced into assembling a new-look side, after a contract dispute with players led to a boycott by the 13-member squad which was announced on Monday.

The 13 players, including regular captain Chris Gayle, vice-captain Denesh Ramdin, top batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, as well as key fast bowler Jerome Taylor are protesting outstanding payments and other issues.

But the WICB has been successful in finding 15 players willing to don the maroon cap, and have named a replacement squad to be captained by long-standing Barbadian left-handed batsman Floyd Reifer.

Darren Sammy has been named vice-captain, and is the only player that has commanded a regular place in the full-strength West Indies side over the last year.

Alongside Reifer and Sammy, fast bowler Tino Best, who earns a recall after four years in the cricket wilderness, and all-rounder Dave Bernard Jr, who featured in the recent home One-day International series against India, are the only other players to have played a Test.

Fast bowler Kemar Roach, who has appeared in two ODIs and one Twenty20 International, is also in the squad, as well as fellow fast bowler Nelon Pascal and opening batsman Dale Richards.

Pascal and Richards made the recent trip to England, but failed to break into either the Test or ODI sides.

The rest of the side is a hodge-podge of Test newcomers with varying levels of experience in West Indies domestic competitions which also includes schoolboy opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who will become the youngest West Indies Test player at the age of 16 years.

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Bangladesh claim early wicket after making 238

KINGSTOWN: West Indies'' disciplined seam attack limited Bangladesh to 238 all out on the second day of the first cricket test at Arnos Vale.

The visitors hit back late in the day as the home team reached17-1 in reply at the close.

Bangladesh, resuming on 42-0 after a rain-curtailed opening day, stumbled against the pace of Kemar Roach (3-46) and TinoBest(2-58). The probing medium pacers Dave Bernard (2-30) and Darren Sammy (1-38) also supported well.

No Bangladesh batsman managed to reach 40 and it was left to captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who hit a top score of 39, and fellow fastbowler Shahadat Hossain, with a career-best 33, to boost the total.

Best struck in the day''s second over as Tamim Iqbal (14) snicked an expansive drive to skipper Floyd Reifer at first slip at 45-1. Four runs later, his opening partner and fellow left-hander Imrul Kayes perished in unlucky circumstances.

Imrul notched four boundaries in 33 off 66 balls before he was ruled leg before as he played no stroke to a Sammy delivery that struck him high and was heading past off stump.

Junaid Siddique and Raqibul Hasan shared a stand of 30 for the third wicket before four wickets tumbled for 42 runs in the final 45minutes before lunch. Bernard accounted for Siddique and Raqibul, his maiden test wickets. Raqibul (14) edged a drive low to gully, while Siddique(27) miscued a pull straight to midwicket.

Mohammad Ashraful, the most experienced of the visitors, followed soon afterward as Best struck in his first over of a second spell. Ashraful (6) drove at a full-length delivery and feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton.

All rounder Shakib-al-Hasan (17) perished just before the break, deflecting a catch to Dale Richards at gully to provide Roach with his first test wicket.

Debutant Mahmudullah (9) fell to Roach as he sliced a drive to Omar Phillips in the gully. Bangladesh''s lower order produced a rearguard after taking tea at149-7, with the last three wickets adding 89 runs. Mortaza, lucky to survive a caught behind appeal off Roach before he scored, batted with typical freedom.

He and Mushfiqur Rahim (36) shared an enterprising stand before a mix up ended with the run out of Rahim.

Rahim was sent back late and Sammy''s accurate return to bowler Nikita Miller found the diminutive wicketkeeper well short.

The West Indies reply was authoritatively launched by opener DaleRichards, who got off the mark in test cricket with a cracking pullover midwicket for six.

But he perished before the close, plumb leg before toShakib-al-Hasan. Omar Phillips, yet to score, and Ryan Austin (1), like Richardsamong the seven West Indian debutants, survived to the close.

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Bangladesh fight back against West Indies

KINGSTOWN: Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes took Bangladesh to 26-0 in their second innings, and a deficit of 43 runs, at stumps against the West Indies on the third day of the first Test Saturday.

Tamim and Kayes kept their nerve through a tricky seven-over period to remain not out on 14 and 11 respectively, after West Indies, replying to Bangladesh''s first innings total of 238, were dismissed for 307.

Bangladesh''s bowlers had kept their side in the Test, despite consistent batting down the order from the depleted West Indies.

Mahmudullah snared three wickets for 59 runs from 19.4 overs with his uncomplicated off-spin, and teenaged fast bowler Rubel Hossain, playing in his first Test, collected three for 76 from 15 overs.

But Shakib Al Hasan was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with two for 76 from 35 overs bowling his steady left-arm spin.

Bangladesh were hamstrung by the absence of their new captain and main fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza with a knee injury.

The tourists, however, remained competitive thanks to a slow, low pitch which made run-scoring difficult, although left-handed opener Omar Phillips hit the top score of 94 for West Indies, Dave Bernard Jr made 53 and Darren Sammy hit 48.

"I was disappointed that I missed the hundred," said 22-year-old Phillips, one of a group of emergency players that West Indies assembled after a strike by their established stars protesting pay and contract issues.

"It was a great innings for me in my first Test, but I tried to change the tactics just a little bit when I got into the 90s, and that''s what led to my downfall, but the next time I get that far, I''ll know not to change my game plan."

Before lunch, Bangladesh had limited success, as Phillips anchored West Indies to 136 for two.

Bangladesh were hunting early wickets to put the depleted West Indies batting under pressure, when the home team continued from their overnight total of 17 for one.

But the Tigers were held up, when Phillips and night-watchman Ryan Austin added a valuable 79 for the second wicket.

Bangladesh suffered a huge setback, when Mortaza fell over following the third delivery of his seventh over, and injured his right knee.

The visitors'' captain left the field and was taken to hospital for a precautionary medical examination.

The rest of the Bangladesh bowlers tried to make headway, but Phillips, who started on nought and took 14 nervous balls to get off the mark, reached his 50 from 92 balls, when he square drove Rubel for a single.

Rubel made the breakthrough for Bangladesh when Austin reached for a delivery outside the off-stump, and was caught low down at first slip for 17.

After lunch, Bangladesh got back into the Test, when they claimed four wickets - two off successive balls for Test newcomer Mahmudullah - to leave West Indies on 228 for six at tea.

Shakib made the early strike after lunch, when he gained an lbw verdict over Dowlin in the third over after the interval.

But Shakib, leading the side in the absence of Mortaza, showed a great sense of awareness with Phillips approaching his maiden Test hundred.

He brought back Rubel - the fastest bowler available to him - and he struck a vital blow, when Phillips tried a loose drive and was caught at short cover.

The left-hander struck seven boundaries from 177 balls in close to four hours of batting.

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Windies and Bangladesh play in 2nd Test today

GRENADA: The second Test match between the West Indies and Bangladesh will be played from today at Greneda.

The tourists are leading the two-Test series 1-0 after they won their first ever Test abroad defeating the hosts by 95 runs in the first Test match.

However in the second Test, Bangladesh are without the services of their captain Mashrafe Mortaza who has been out due to knee injury. Shakib Al-Hasan will lead the team in his place.

Meanwhile, the West Indian board has decided to depend on young players in the second Test, too.

However, Ryan Hinds has returned to the team. he had played his last Test in March.

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Roach rips through Bangladesh as Windies fight back

ST.GEORGE''S: West Indies pace bowler Kemar Roach took six wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for 232 on the second day of the second test to give the makeshift Caribbean side a narrow first innings lead.

West Indies lost opener Dale Richards during the final session but closed the day 61 runs ahead of Bangladesh with nine second innings wickets remaining.

With the leading West Indies players boycotting the series in a dispute over contracts and payments, Roach, playing in his second test, made his case for an extended spell in the side with an excellent spell of hostile bowling on a slow track.

After West Indies were dismissed for 237 on the first day, Bangladesh must have fancied their chances of building a decent lead but they never got into a groove against some good bowling.

Wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton, also in his second test match, claimed five catches in the innings as West Indies enjoyed much better fortune than in a largely poor batting display on Friday.

The 21-year-old Roach claimed an early victim in night watchman Enamul Haque before fellow seamer Dave Bernard grabbed the crucial wicket of opener Tamim Iqbal, a centurion in the first innings, with a late swinging delivery that the left-hander edged to Walton.

When off-spinner Ryan Austin bowled Junaid Siddique, Bangladesh were struggling on 77 for four.

Raqibul Hasan''s patient 44 was the best effort from a frontline Bangladesh batsman before Roach had him caught behind with the tourists 150 for six.

It would have been a much bigger lead for the hosts had it not been for Mushfiqur Rahim''s lively 48 from 58 balls. He too was caught behind off Roach who swept through the tail, picking up the last four wickets.

With three days remaining, West Indies need to show the kind of focused test match batting absent from their displays in the series so far. They will be disappointed to have lost Richards, lbw to Shakib Al Hasan''s spin in the final session.

Travis Dowlin was dropped at slip off Mohammed Mahmudullah early in his innings but survived with Omar Phillips as the home side reached 56 for one.

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BD spinners dominate West Indies 2nd innings

ST. GEORGE''S, Grenada: Rain took a sizeable chunk out of the day, but Bangladesh still held all the aces with West Indies wobbly on 192 for eight in their second innings in the second and final Test on Sunday.

The Bangladesh spinners continued to torment the West Indies'' batsmen, and the home team could only extend their lead to 197 in the time available on the third day at the Queen''s Park Stadium Complex.

The entire evening session was lost to the weather, after rain had earlier stopped play about half-hour before lunch, and the afternoon session started about an hour and 10 minutes later than scheduled after the interval. The Tigers'' spinners applied the pressure throughout the truncated day and the West Indies'' batsmen - except for birthday boy Dave Bernard Jr - cracked.

Shakib Al Hasan has been Bangladesh''s most successful bowler with four wickets for 61 runs from 22 overs, and fellow left-arm spinner Enamul Haque Jr has taken two for 42 from 15 overs.

But the Bangladeshis found Bernard hard to dislodge, and he reached 50 for the third time in the series, when he swung his 56th ball from Enamul over mid-wicket for his sixth four.

The Tigers spinners were never able to dominate him, and the lanky all-rounder struck six fours and one six in an unbeaten 61 from 71 balls in a little over two hours.

The weather intervened before lunch to set Bangladesh''s effort back, after their spinners, led by Shakib, bowled them back into contention, when they reduced West Indies to 124 for five at the interval.

Shakib made the breakthrough in the eighth over of the morning, after West Indies continued from their overnight total of 56 for one.

The acting Bangladesh captain removed Omar Phillips, when the left-handed opener was caught at deep square leg for 29.

Four overs later, Shakib had Ryan Hinds caught at leg-slip for two, when the left-handed batsman gloved a sweep shot.

Off-spinner Mahmudullah, who has been the most successful bowler for Bangladesh in the series, then removed West Indies captain Floyd Reifer for three to a questionable lbw decision from New Zealand umpire Tony Hill.

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Bangladesh seal historic win over WIndies

ST GEORGE''S: Bangladesh recorded only their second ever test series win and their first away from home here on Monday when they beat hosts West Indies by four wickets in the second and final Test to seal it 2-0.

The tourists, also winning an unprecedented second successive Test, chased down the target of 215 to win by six wickets with stand-in captain Shakib Al Hasan winning it in style with a six to end 96 not out.

Bangladesh won the opening Test last Monday in St. Vincent by 95 runs.

The series win comes against a much weakened and inexperienced West Indies side as most of their stars had boycotted the series in a dispute with their governing body over pay.

Brief scores:
West Indies 237 (Travis Dowlin 95, Dale Richards 69, Omar Phillips 23; Mahmudullah 3-44, Shakib Al Hasan 3-59, Enamul Haque Jr 3-62) and 209 (Dave Bernard Jr 69, Travis Dowlin 49, Omar Phillips 29, Darren Sammy 22; Shakib Al Hasan 24.5-3-70-5, Enamul Haque Jr 3-48)

Bangladesh 232 (Mushfiqur Rahim 48, Raqibul Hasan 44, Tamim Iqbal 37, Mahmudullah 28; Kemar Roach 23.5-8-48-6) and 217 for six (Shakib Al Hasan 96 not out, Raqibul Hasan 65; Darren Sammy 16-1-55-5)

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Bangladesh clinch historic series win

GRENADA: Bangladesh made history by defeating West Indies in the Grenada test by 4 wickets and clinching the series for the first time against any country.

Raqibul Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan shared a thrilling 106-run partnership to charge Bangladesh to their first overseas series win. On an enthralling afternoon''s play, Darren Sammy threatened to do the improbable but Raqibul lifted Bangladesh with a plucky innings before the equally aggressive Shakib joined him to clinch a euphoric win.

Set a target of 215, a counterattacking Raqibul, who had walked in at 29 for 2, was joined by Shakib at 67 for 4 and the pair batted bravely to seize back the initiative. Though Sammy took out Raqibul and Mushfiqur Rahim, 14 runs away from the win, Shakib held his nerve to steer the team home. The winning moment came at 5.38 pm and in some style, with Shakib lofting Kemar Roach over long-on.

Apart from Sammy''s superb spell, Raqibul''s battle against Roach was the highlight of the session. Shakib took on the dominating role in the final session, spanking boundaries almost at will, including a hat-trick of fours against Roach. The first one, an extra-cover drive that brought up his fifty, was followed by a crunching cut and a feisty pull as Bangladesh galloped towards victory. If the final session was almost serene, the second was a dramatic and event-filled. The day had started with a two-hour rain delay and Bangladesh took just 4.1 overs to wrap up West Indies for 209; it was the first time Bangladesh had bowled out the opposition for less than 250 in both innings.

For a brief while, when Roach and Sammy operated in tandem, the game appeared to be hanging in balance, but Shakib and Raqibul ensured their fans won''t lose too much hair or nails.

Bangladesh 232 (Rahim 48, Raqibul 44, Roach 6-48) and 217 for 6 (Shakib 96*, Raqibul 65, Sammy 5-55) beat West Indies 237 (Dowlin 95, Richards 69) and 209 (Bernard 69, Shakib 5-70) by four wickets

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West Indies players end strike

MIAMI: The striking West Indies players have ended their boycott of the current series with Bangladesh following an agreement to appoint a mediator to resolve their dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

West Indies captain Chris Gayle and 12 other players picked for the first test with Bangladesh refused to play due to adispute over payment and contractual issues.

West Indies lost both tests with the second defeat coming on Monday.

On Tuesday, the WICB and the players union (WIPA) met with the head of the regional economic co-operation body CARICOM, Guyana president Bharrat Jagdeo, and agreed to resolve the dispute through mediation.

As part of the agreement, the striking players would make themselves available for selection for the rest of the series.

In a statement issued by Jagdeo''s office, the two parties agreed to have former Commonwealth secretary general Sir Shridath Ramphal handle the talks.

"It was agreed that in the light of the Mediation Agreement which the Parties expect to lead to the resolution of outstanding issues all the players will make themselves available for selection," read the statement.

West Indies begin a series of three one day matches against Bangladesh on Sunday.