1st Dhaka Bank Test Rahim unbeaten 70 frustrates Windies

Sep 09, 2014 Sports

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By Sean Devers in St Vincent
In association with Sterling Products Ltd,
Universal Sports Store, Payless Varity Store
& Carib Beer
This is only the third time that a Test match has been played in St. Vincent and the last one, five years ago, produced a 95-run win for Bangladesh over the West Indies as Tamil Iqbal slammed a hundred against a third string West Indies team.
Yesterday at Arnos Vale on a day blessed with glorious sunshine, Bangladesh, led by a 130 century stand from Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah (66) were 256-5 in their second innings after being asked to follow-on, 302 runs behind West Indies’ 484-4 declared, to take the contest into the final day and reduce the target to avoid an innings defeat to 46 runs. Rahim’s unbeaten 70 came from 247 minutes, lasted 193 balls and was decorated with eight fours.

It was a frustrating final two sessions for the hosts who had reduced Bangladesh, at the bottom of the ICC Test rankings and two places below West Indies, to 101-4 in the opening session of the penultimate day but struggled for a break through after that.
They finally got one in the dying stages of the day when Mahmudullah, who batted for 213 minutes, faced 151 balls and struck seven fours and a six in 66, edged Roach to the Keeper. But defensive Captaincy and some ordinary work in the field aided the Bangladesh cause.
Left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn followed up his 5-39 in the first innings with 2-44 from 28 overs but fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who bowled with pace, was the best bowler on show yesterday despite not getting a wicket and his 13 overs cost just 19 runs.
Beginning their second innings yesterday after being dismissed for 182 at the end of the third day, Bangladesh, asked to follow-on, began badly as a handful of spectators watched on a working day here as Bangladesh lost Shamsur Rahman (4) caught behind by Denesh Ramdin off Kemar Roach, 16 minutes into the day’s play to leave the score on 11-1.
Tamin Iqbal and Imrul Kayes joined forces and revived the position with positive batting as Tamin unleashed two consecutive cover drives off Jerome Taylor for boundaries, while Kayes played some delightful shots on the slow outfield although the run rate dipped with the introduction of Benn from the Northern end, while Gabriel was very economical and bowled impressively without the success to show for it.
The pair took the score to 81 before Chris Gayle was introduced into the attack and removed Kayes (25) in his first over as the left-hander failed to get to the pitch of a flighted delivery and hit a catch to Kirk Edwards at short extra cover.
Mominul Haque (12) did not last long, edging a catch to Ramdin as Benn got one to bounce and turn to find the inside edge as the visitors, who beat the West Indies by 95 runs the last time they played them here five years ago, slipped to 104-3.
Tamin, who has four Test tons to his name and is only one of three batsmen with Test centuries on this ground, reached his 15th Test fifty with a pugnacious straight six off Gayle before he played back to Benn and was clean bowled just before Lunch at 107-4.
From their lunch time position of 110-4, Bangladesh whose only two wins against the West Indies from 11 matches were achieved against a third string team in2009 in the West Indies, progressed nicely in the afternoon sessions with Rahim, who was put down off Taylor on 21 with the score on 152, leading with excellent support to Mahmudullah, who pounced on Roach and pulled him savagely for two consecutive fours.
The partnership flourished as Rahim, who finished unbeaten on 48 in the first innings, grew in confidence as his innings progressed and found the gaps in the field with sensible batting.
Mahmudullah rocked back and pulled Gayle for four before dancing into the Jamaican off-spinner and lofting him a couple of bounces to the long-on boundary to post the 50 partnership. He then celebrated by hitting Gayle for six and the partnership was beginning to get frustrating for the West Indies.
By Tea, the pair was still together with the score on 184-4 but Bangladesh still trailed by 118 runs. Mahmudullah was on 41 and Rahim on 33 and the partnership worth 77 runs.
After Tea, Blackwood served up a long hop to Rahim which the Bangladesh Captain dispatched to the boundary and followed it up with a crunching cover driven four, while Mahmudullah backed away and smacked Benn for four to bring up his 50, the 200 and the 100 partnership, as the West Indies allowed easy singles and put very little pressure on the batsmen.
Mahmudullah skied a wild swipe at Gayle ‘miles’ into the air with him on 53 and the score on 219 only to see Edwards at short cover floor the sitter much to the disbelief of the small crowd which included several school children.
Rahim soon reached his half-century as he and Mahmudullah took full advantage of some loose work by the home team who once again demonstrated their inability to produce the knock-out punch when the opposition was wobbling on the ropes.
Roach finally broke the partnership, which began in the first session, when he got one to cut back to Mahmudullah to take the inside edge and provide Ramdin with a brilliant catch going down the leg-side and leave Bangladesh on 237-5.
Nasir Hossain (7) joined Rahim and together they ensured the match goes into today’s final day when, in the morning session yesterday, it seemed as if the game would have been done and dusted on the fourth day.
Scores: Bangladesh 182 and 256 for 5 (Mushfiqur 70*, Mahmudullah 66) trail West Indies 484 for 7 decl. by 46 runs (follow-on).

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