Samuels’ hundred, Bravo tip the balance

Nov 23, 2012 Sports

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Khulna, Bangladesh – A typically silky hundred from Marlon Samuels and equally composed batting from Darren Bravo led a strong West Indies reply against Bangladesh in the second Test on Thursday here.

Samuels was undefeated on 109 – his fifth Test hundred – and left-hander Bravo was unbeaten on 85 – eyeing his fourth Test hundred – as the Windies reached 241 for two, replying to Bangladesh’s first innings total of 387 at the close on the second day at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium.
The 31-year-old Samuels reached his milestone – his third hundred for the year – from 227 balls in the third-last over of the day with a crisp extra cover drive off left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan for the 11th of his 13 fours.
Samuels, whose innings has also included so far one six from 231 balls in 282 minutes, celebrated by waving a yellow scarf which he had hung around his neck.
He and Bravo put on 198 – unbroken – for the third wicket to tip the scales in the balance, after Kieran Powell fell for 13 and talismanic, fellow left-handed opener Chris Gayle was dismissed for 25, as the visitors reached 62 for two at lunch.
This unfolded after the Windies needed less than half-hour to claim the last two Bangladesh first innings wickets, after the hosts resumed from their overnight total of 365 for eight.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy denied Mahmudullah’s claims for a second Test hundred, when he held a fabulous return catch on the second attempt in the third over of the day to remove the Bangladesh all-rounder for a well-played 76, which included nine fours from 97 balls in 175 minutes.
Fidel Edwards wrapped up the innings three overs later, when Bangladesh batting hero Abul Hasan fended a screeching bouncer and was caught at second slip by Sammy for the top score of 113, which lasted 163 minutes and contained 14 fours and three sixes from 123 balls.
Edwards, playing his 55th Test in place of the injured Ravi Rampaul, was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with 6-90 from 18.1 overs – the 12th time he has grabbed five wickets or more in a Test innings – and Sammy supported with 3-74 from 23 overs.
Powell, a century-maker in each innings of the previous Test, was wobbled, when he took his eyes off a short, rising delivery from Rubel Hossain and was struck on the back of the helmet.
After receiving treatment on the field for several minutes from West Indies team physiotherapist C.J. Clark, he never settled after the blow, and four balls later, was caught  at deep mid-wicket from a mistimed, retaliatory pull.
Gayle spent close to an hour at the crease and hardly seemed troubled until he swept at a delivery down the leg-side from off-spinner Sohag Gazi and was caught behind, leaving West Indies 43 for two.

Samuels, West Indies’ most prolific batsman this year, now with 715 runs and a provisional average of 79.44, strode to the crease and hardly put a foot wrong batting together with Bravo. They carried West Indies to 146 for two at tea and no one could find a way through them in the final period.
Samuels reached his 50 from 107 balls with consecutive boundaries off Rubel – a square drive that evaded the slide from the fielder on the point boundary and a top-edged hook to deep fine leg.
Bravo soon followed with his 50 from 133 balls, when he swept Mahmudullah to the fine leg boundary for the fourth of his seven boundaries. He has batted in total 294 minutes and faced 197 balls.
West Indies lead the two-Test series 1-0, following a 77-run victory in the first Test that ended last Saturday at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka. The West Indies have never lost a Test series, let alone a Test in three trips to this country.

SCOREBOARD
BANGLADESH 1st Innings
Tamim Iqbal b Sammy 32
Nazimuddin c Powell b F. Edwards 4
Shahriar Nafees c wkpr Ramdin b Sammy 26
Naeem Islam b F. Edwards 16
Shakib Al Hasan c wkpr Ramdin b F. Edwards 17
*+Mushfiqur Rahim c wkpr Ramdin b F. Edwards 38
Nasir Hossain c Edwards b Permaul 52
Mahmudullah c and b Sammy 76
Sohag Gazi lbw b F. Edwards 0
Abul Hasan c Sammy b F. Edwards 113
Extras (b4, lb3, nb1) 8
TOTAL (all out, 91.1 overs) 387
Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Nazimuddin), 2-64 (Shahriar Nafees), 3-77 (Tamim Iqbal), 4-93 (Naeem Islam), 5-98 (Shakib Al Hasan), 6-185 (Nasir Hossain), 7-193 (Mushfiqur Rahim), 8-193 (Sohag Gazi), 9-377 (Mahmudullah)
Bowling: Edwards 18.1-2-90-6 (nb1); Best 10-3-31-0; Sammy 23-4-74-3; Narine 19-0-91-0; Permaul 19-2-79-1; Samuels 2-0-15-0
WEST INDIES 1st Innings
C. Gayle c wkpr Mushfiqur Rahim b Sohag Gazi 25
K. Powell c Shakib Al Hasan b Rubel Hossain 13
D.M. Bravo not out 85
M. Samuels not out 109
Extras (lb3, w1, nb5) 9
TOTAL (2 wkts, 82 overs) 241
S. Chanderpaul, M. Samuels, +D. Ramdin, *D. Sammy, V. Permaul, S. Narine, T. Best, F. Edwards to bat
Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Powell), 2-43 (Gayle)
Bowling: Sohag Gazi 20-3-67-1; Abul Hasan 14-0-56-0 (nb3, w1); Rubel Hossain 14-5-31-1 (nb1); Naeem Islam 1-0-3-0; Shakib Al Hasan 26-8-56-0; Mahmudullah 7-0-25-0
Position: West Indies trail by 146 with eight first innings wickets standing (WICB)

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