Tigers earn their stripes, win one-day series

ROSEAU, Dominica: Half-centuries from Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful trumped a maiden One-day International hundred from Travis Dowlin, and inspired Bangladesh to a series-clinching three-wicket victory over West Indies here on Tuesday. Shakib, the Bangladesh captain, struck 65 from 61 balls to earn the Man-of-the-Match award, while Ashraful scored 64 from 77 balls, as the Tigers successfully chased 275 at Windsor Park for a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Left-hander Abdur Razzak sealed the result with six balls to spare, when he top-edged a pull at a short, wide ball from Dave Bernard Jr to third man for four.It was Bangladesh’s highest successful run chase in more than 200 ODIs, and the victory followed their first-ever against West Indies by 52 runs on Sunday at the same venue.“I can’t explain the feeling,” said Shakib.“The boys have tried their best. The team has been supportive throughout the series, and so have the support staff, and we have done well.The series concludes on Friday at Warner Park in St. Kitts, where the two sides will also contest a Twenty20 International on Sunday.“Travis played really, really well for his hundred.“We knew coming into the game with five bowlers we were taking a risk, and it did not help that we lost three of our bowlers at critical stages. But I thought we played well and put in a big effort.“There have been a lot of positives which the guys can take from this series. It’s a young team, and we all need to be patient with them,” Reifer said.But the Tigers stumbled through their chase, after Dowlin struck an even, undefeated 100 to help West Indies post 274 for six from their allocation of 50 overs.They made a steady start and then wobbled on 64 for two before Ashraful featured in two successive half-century stands that stabilised the innings and put Bangladesh firmly on course.Ashraful added 52 for the third wicket with Raqibul Hasan, and then 74 for the fourth wicket with Shakib before he was caught at long-off off leg-spinner Rawl Lewis in the 37th over with 85 still needed.But there was plenty of drama in the closing stages, as Bangladesh would lose Shakib, Mahmudullah, and Mushfiqur Rahim, and West Indies would lose the services of key fast bowler Kemar Roach after he bowled two beamers.The Tigers have cruelly exposed the limitations of the batting of the makeshift West Indies side with their spin bowling in the preceding two Tests, and the first ODI, but Dowlin flipped the script with six fours and one six in a 117-ball knock.He reached his hundred, when he steered a delivery from Syed Rasel into square cover for a single.Dowlin had laboured 88 balls over 50 which he reached, when he swept Shakib to backward square leg for two, as the four Bangladesh spinners managed to keep things steady in the middle overs.But Bangladesh leaked 98 runs in the last 10 overs, including 50 in the Batting Power Play between the 40th and 44th overs, to give West Indies a late boost, after they had limped to 176 for five.Dowlin led the charge, but Rawl Lewis gathered a vital 22 from 27 balls in a sixth wicket stand of 64 from 40 balls, and Darren Sammy made a crucial 24 from 19 balls, as West Indies made 29 from the last 15 balls of the innings.Score board West Indies won tossWest IndiesD M Richards run out (Naeem Islam) 20A D S Fletcher c Naeem Islam b Shakib 22D S Smith run out (Tamim Iqbal) 44T M Dowlin not out 100*F L Reifer c Shakib b Naeem Islam 7D E Bernard st Mushfiqur b Abdur Razzak 22R N Lewis b Syed Rasel 22D J G Sammy not out 24Extras (lb3, w10) 13Total (6 wkts, 50 overs) 274Did not bat: †D C Thomas, G C Tonge, K A J RoachFall: 1-33, 2-52, 3-118, 4-134, 5-181, 6-245Bowling: Syed Rasel 8-0-61-1 (1w); Rubel Hossain 5-0-38-0 (1w); Shakib Al Hasan 10-2-42-1; Abdur Razzak 10-0-58-1 (4w); Naeem Islam 8-0-26-1 (1w); Mahmudullah 9-1-46-0 (2w)BangladeshTamim Iqbal c Bernard b Roach 29Junaid Siddique c Roach b Bernard 23Mohammad Ashraful c Richards b Lewis 64Raqibul Hasan c Reifer b Bernard 20*Shakib Al Hasan c Richards b Sammy 65†Mushfiqur Rahim c Sammy b Thomas 31Mahmudullah c (sub) Miller b Thomas 3Naeem Islam not out 3Abdur Razzak not out 11Extras (b5, lb5, w15, nb2) 27Total (7 wkts, 49 overs) 276Did not bat: Rubel Hossain, Syed RaselFall: 1-46, 2-64, 3-116, 4-190, 5-238, 6-251, 7-261Bowling: Roach 7.5-0-55-1 (2nb, 2w); Tonge 10-0-49-0 (2w); Sammy 10-0-39-1 (1w); Bernard 10-0-59-2 (7w); Lewis 10-0-53-1 (1w); Thomas 1.1-0-11-2 (2w)ODI debuts: D C Thomas and G C Tonge (West Indies)Man of the match: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)Result: Bangladesh won by three wicketsSeries: Bangladesh lead 3-ODI series 2-0Umpires: B R Doctrove (West Indies) and T L Hill (New Zealand). TV umpire: N A Malcolm (West Indies). Match referee: R S Mahanama (Sri Lanka)