2nd Dhaka Test …Windies aim to finish series with clinical win in their 500th Test today

Sep 13, 2014 Sports

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By Sean Devers in St Lucia
In Association with Mike’s Pharmacy,
Raj Singh Insurance, Universal Sports Store
Carib Beer & Rex Resorts St Lucia  
How things have changed in the space of five years. The 2009 tour by Bangladesh now

seem light years away as tourist returned to their favorite cricketing destination with high hopes of at least drawing the two-Test Dhaka Bank series in St Vincent and St Lucia.
Despite an unbeaten 48 in the first innings followed by his third Test hundred from Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim and a 314 score in the second innings to avoid an innings defeat, Bangladesh lost by 10-wickets in the first Test in St Vincent.
Today, at the Beausejour Stadium on the 238 square mile Island of St Lucia, a venue where Bangladesh had never lost a Test match, West Indies start as overwhelming favorites to close off this series 2-nil as they start their 500th Test since their first against England in 1928.
If Bangladesh’s four Tests wins came against Zimbabwe and a third string West Indies side in 2009, the last time they played at this ground in 2004, Bangladesh earned their first draw overseas when Khaled Mashud (103*), Habibul Bashar (113) & Mohammad Rafique (111) scored centuries in the same match. This was against a full strength West Indies and the visitors would consider a draw here a victory.
Bangladesh sits at the bottom of the ICC Test Rankings, while the West Indies are two places higher at number eight. A 1-nil series win by the hosts will see Bangladesh moving up 13 rating points and the West Indies going backwards on the Rankings.
In St Vincent, Bangladesh pushed the West Indies much harder and prolonged the game much longer than the home team and their fans anticipated and with tours to India and South Africa before they

face Ireland in their World Cup opener on February 16 next year, there is a lot of work to be done if the Caribbean side hope to compete with the ‘big boys’ in International cricket.
The win in St Vincent was far from clinical with Skipper Denesh Ramdin admitting that the catching is a major cause for concern.  The dropped catches by Kirk Edwards and Jerome Taylor were elementary blunders and would have been held by most of those in the Scotia Bank Kiddies cricket programme held during the lunch breaks of each day’s play.
Kemar Roach had four wickets in the second innings in the first Test, while Shannon Gabriel’s lack of more wickets was not a true reflection of how well and fast he bowled.
If this track is greener than the one in St Vincent, the powerfully built Trinidadian could prove too hostile for the visitors. Taylor bowled well in spurts, while left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn picked up seven wickets in the match but bowled much too quickly.
While the poor catching added the visitor’s cause so did Ramdin’s defensive captaincy which allowed the lower order, as New Zealand did in Trinidad when West Indies won by 10-wickets, to string together frustrating lower order partnerships as the hosts lacked the knock-out punch.
This is the middle of the Hurricane season in the Eastern Caribbean and had there been more rain and the match was drawn the West Indies would have had only themselves to blame for batting too slowly on the second day when they had over 300 runs with only three wickets down.
Veteran Shiv Chanderpaul took over five hours to make an unbeaten 85 before he ran out of time to make his 30th Test ton when the declaration came. But he seemed satisfied with another not out which took his Test average to 52.26
With Gayle out for personal reasons, Kraigg Braithwaite, who played beautifully against an innocuous attack, will want to step up a gear here as he prepares for much tougher opposition in India and on the bouncy pitches in South Africa, while Darren Bravo has all the talent to be ‘great’ if he works on his impetuous shot-selections. Ramdin has been having a good run with the bat and could be used as make-shift opener (a job he has done before at this level) allowing space in the middle order to accommodate both Jermaine Blackwood (who can bowl part time spin) and Leon Johnson, who should be given his debut against a weak bowling attack since he should be on the plane to India.
Johnson has a realistic chance of becoming the Region’s 300th Test cricketer since Kirk Edwards’ performance in the last Test should see him losing his place in the side.
Already with the loss of Shakib Al Hasan and Sohag Gazi, Bangladesh batsman Imrul Kayes, who scored 9 & 25 in St Vincent has been ruled out of this game with a skin infection.
Bangladesh manager Habibul Bashar, who scored a century here a decade ago, said that Kayes has not practiced with the team and been confined to the Hotel since the team arrived here on Wednesday.
Anamul Haque should replace Kayes in the final X1 and the batting will again revolve around Rahim. He will hope for support from Mahmudullah, Shamsur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Shuvagata Hom and Tamin Iqbal, who scored 128 on Bangladesh’s last tour here.
Left-arm spinner Taijul, who got a five-wicket haul on his Test debut at Arnos Vale, Hom and Mahmudullah, will be expected to provide the spin. Pacers Rubel, the most experienced but one of the most expensive bowlers in Test cricket and Al Amin, who has 21 days to have his action tested after being reported in the first Test, will aim to be more penetrative on a track which Ramdin says he wants to see with some grass.
Teams: West Indies: Denesh Ramdin (captain/wicket-keeper), Shiv Chanderpaul, Leon Johnson, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Kraigg Braithwaite, Jermaine Blackwood, Kirk Edwards, Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, Shane Shillingford, Sulieman Benn.
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain/wicket-keeper) Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Shamsur Rahman, Robiul Islam, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Shuvagata Hom, Al Amin, Elias Sunny.

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