Mahmudullah, Shoriful Islam spur Bangladesh to 6-wkt win in ODI opener

Jul 11, 2022 Sports

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By Sean Devers at Providence 

Kaieteur News – The smallest non-working day crowd to watch an ODI since Bangladesh beat south Africa in the opening World Cup game in 2007, saw Bangladesh beat West Indies by six wickets at Providence yesterday in a truncated first ODI to take a 1-nil lead in the three-match series.

In a match scheduled to commence at 09:30 hrs in the middle of Guyana’s rainy season, it finally began at 11:45hrs and was reduced to 41 overs due the early morning showers.

Chasing 150 to win, the tourists reached 151-4 in 31.5 overs with 36-year-old Mahmudullah hitting two fours and a six in his unbeaten 41. He shared in an unbroken 40-run fifth wicket stand with Nurul Hasan who struck two boundaries including a six in his unbeaten 20. Skipper Tamim Iqbal made 33 from 25 balls with four fours and a six.

West Indies reached 149-9 as Shamarh Brooks (33) and Anderson Phillip (21*) were the only batters to reach 20 although Bangladesh dropped four catches.

Shoriful Islam 4-34 and Mehidy Hasan 3-36, were the architects of destruction as Bangladesh won their first match on their tour to the West Indies after losing 2-nil in both the Test and T20 series.

Things could have been worse for the home team had not Phillip, who hit the lone six in the innings and Jaydon Seales (16*) added 39 in an unfinished last wicket stand which was the highest of the innings.

When Bangladesh began their reply Litton Das (1) was LBW to left-arm spinner Akeal Hosien at 9-1.

The 23-year-old Najmul Shanto, already with two Test centuries to his name and Skipper Tamim Iqbal, who scored 130 when Bangladesh last visited Guyana in 2018, scored freely and took the score 49 before Iqbal was run out in the 8^th over.

Mahmudullah, who stroked Hosien exquisitely through the covers for four and Shanto, who was looking well set as the fifty came up in the eight over.

But once left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who conceded just a single in his first over in ODI cricket and the versatile Pooran, bowling off-spin, operated together, the run rate dipped a bit.

Shanto freed the shackles by pulling a short one from Pooran for four before Shanto drilled a catch to Pooran as Motie got his first OD1 scalp. Shanto made 37 with five boundaries and his departure left his team on 98-3.

Mahmudullah clobbered Pooran for four before he was dismissed by a no-ball from the Skipper, who got prodigious turn from the pitch. The 100 came up in the 20^th.

Afif Hossain (9) was taken off Pooran looking to clear mid-on for Phillip to a well-judged catch running back. It was then 111-4 and Pooran celebrated as if had won the world cup.

Nurul Hasan joined Mahmudullah and together they saw their team to a comfortable win with Mahmudullah hitting a boundary off Seales to finish the contest with 55 balls to spare.

Earlier, Bangladesh asked West Indies to bat in hazy sunshine on a pitch which offered early turn.

The decision immediately bore fruit when Shai Hope was bowled for a duck at 1-1 in the second over with a beautiful inswinging yorker from Mustafizur Rahman much to the dismay of a disappointing Sunday crowd.

Kyle Mayers (10) hit a couple of boundaries before he was bowled by Hasan at 32-2 in the 12^th over to bring T20 Opener Brandon King to crease.

King and Brooks, who again looked sound and executed some delightful off-side drives, brought up the 50 in the 19^th over.

With the skies getting bluer as the weather improved, King struggled to get the ball off the square before he was dismissed by Islam for eight from 31 balls to leave the score on 55-3 in the 21^st over.

Islam struck again in the same over when he removed Brooks without addition to the score.

Skipper Nicolas Pooran, the hero from the last T20, got going with an audacious reverse sweep off Nasum Ahmed which raced over the lush green and slightly sluggish outfield for a boundary past backward point.

It was soon 74-5 when Rovman Powell (9) was LBW to Mehidy.

Romario Shepherd, who stroked Mehidy to the long-off boundary to the delight of the small but raucous crowd who waved West Indies flags and blew horns in the stands.

Pooran swept Nasum Ahmed for four before the next ball missed the bat and crashed into the Skipper’s pad and he was given out as Ahmed celebrated his first ODI wicket.

But the celebrations were short lived as Umpire Gregory Braithwaith’s decision was overturned.

The left-hander added insult to injury by smashing the next ball for four and the crowd roared as it was a 15,000 capacity.

But Pooran, who hit three fours in his 18, was bowled by Mehidy at 91-6 before Hosein (3) was run out five runs later.

Hosein’s demise made way debutant Gudakesh Motie to join his Countryman and a boundary to mid-wicket by Shepherd brought up the 100 in the 30^th over.

The left-handed Motie, who scored his maiden First-Class hundred in the Regional Tournament in Trinidad, was dropped at long-on off Mustafizur.

The Berbice pair threw their bats at almost everything before Shepherd was taken in the deep off Islam for 16 with two boundaries at 110-8.

West Indies soon slipped to 110-9 when Motie, with the sun back in all its glory, fell to Islam.

Phillip and Seales put together valuable runs in a frustrating last wicket stand.

In 42 ODIs between the two sides West Indies have won 21 losing 19, with two ending in no-results and with a 1-nil lead in the 3-match series, Bangladesh will be hunting their fourth consecutive series win after West Indies last won a series against them in 2014.

The second ODI is scheduled for Wednesday.

Scores: West Indies 149/9 (Shamarh Brooks, Anderson Phillip 21*, Shoriful Islam 4-34, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3-36); Bangladesh 151/4 (Mahmudullah 41*, Najmul Hossain Shanto 37, Tamim Iqbal 33, Gudakesh Motie 1-18). Result: Bangladesh won by 6 wickets (with 55 balls remaining).

 

 

 

 

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