WIndies Secure Consolation Win

West Indies secured a consolation win against Bangladesh with a commanding five wicket win in the Digicel Twenty20 on Sunday at Warner Park.

Set 119 to win, the home side motored to the target for the loss of 5 wickets in 16.5 overs, with Travis Dowlin and Devon Smith each spanking 37, though Dowlin remained not out at the end. Captain, Floyd Reifer, made 22 in uncharacteristic fashion, needing only 20 deliveries and hitting two fours and one six.

Having lost the two Digicel Tests and the three Digicel One Day Internationals, the Windies – made up of replacement players after a boycott by the originally selected squad – plotted their lone win of the Bangladesh tour of the Caribbean after they held the visitors to a below par 118 for 9 from 20 overs.

Outstanding fielding – which led to four run outs – sank Bangladesh along with double wicket hauls from Nikita Miller (4-0-22-2) and Man of the Match Darren Sammy (4-0-33-2) who effected two of the run outs.

The Tigers batting flopped from the inception to 12 for 3 in the third over, then 66 for 7 by the 12th over.

Sammy, the imposing St Lucian all rounder, dismissed opener, Junaid Siddique (5), and Mohammad Ashraful (0) with successive deliveries in his first over, the second of the innings then ran out Mahmudullah Riad (21) and Mehrab Hossain Jr (10).

The Bangladeshi lower order managed to bat with some semblance of aplomb, and rallied to add just a hint of respectability to the total, but the Windies batsmen countered the depleted Bangladeshis spin attack, which was missing injured left arm spinner, Abdur Razzak.

Naeem Islam top scored with 27 from 18 deliveries with a pair of fours and sixes each, while all rounder, Mahmudullah made his 21 from 27 deliveries with two fours. Captain, Shakib Al Hasan, contributed 17 from 16 balls, inclusive of three fours.

Urged on by a modest but vocal Sunday afternoon crowd, the Windies fielded with aggressive intent, regularly hitting the stumps as the Bangladeshis scampered quick runs with wickets falling at regular intervals.

West Indies set off on their run chase in awful fashion, losing opener, Dale Richards, for a first ball duck.

Smith, the Grenadian left hander, then unleashed powerful strokes around the park, as he smashed three fours and two sixes in getting to 37 from just 27 balls, adding 46 for the first wicket with Andre Fletcher (8). And Dowlin, the Guyanese right hander, ensured there were no major alarms by scoring a run a ball of 37 with five boundaries.

Part time spinner, Ashraful’s two wickets for 18 runs, late in the innings, were not enough to prevent the Windies win, as Sammy was awarded the Man of the Match prize, which includes a Blackberry Storm from Digicel, to bring a formal close to the triumphant Bangladesh tour of the Caribbean during which they produced historic, first ever overseas series wins in the Tests and ODIs.