/ 4 March 2011

West Indies rout Bangladesh by nine wickets

West Indies Rout Bangladesh By Nine Wickets

West Indies routed Bangladesh by nine wickets on Friday after dismissing the home side for 58, its lowest score in a World Cup.

Bangladesh was blown out inside 19 overs on a decent pitch to finish with the fourth lowest total in World Cup history.

West Indies, led by Chris Gayle with 37 not out, took less than 13 overs to reach the winning target.

“I was expecting a bigger occasion than this,” Gayle said.

The scheduled day-night match didn’t even reach night, as the sellout crowd of 25 000 in Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium gradually fell into silence then began angrily booing or leaving early to avoid watching the end of an embarrassing defeat for Bangladesh.

It’s previous low was 108 against host South Africa in 2003.

“We have a lot of things to work on,” Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said. “We just did not bat well. Nothing was right today after winning the toss.”

West Indies skipper Darren Sammy said they owed their second victory in three matches to “putting the balls in right areas”.

Gave away wickets
Spinner Suliemann Benn rebounded from conceding nine in his first over to take 4-18, and fast bowlers Kemar Roach and Sammy snared three wickets each. The trio, West Indies’ only used bowlers, wrapped up Bangladesh in little more than an hour and a half.

Zunaed Siddique topscored with 25, almost half of his side’s total.

Bangladesh fielded the same side which beat Ireland by 27 runs in its last game a week ago, but the batsmen virtually gave away their wickets in the face of good bowling.

“We’ll come back strong,” Shakib said. “There are three more games to reach the quarterfinals and we have to win two.”

Tamim Iqbal was out without scoring off the third ball, chasing a widish delivery from Roach and nicking it to Sammy in second slip.

After Benn was slogged by Siddique and Imrul Kayes in the second over, he was immediately replaced by Sammy, who got a hesitant Kayes to step back to a ball and be caught behind for five.

Mushfiqur Rahim lasted only four balls, hitting Sammy straight to Ramnaresh Sarwan at short midwicket at 25-3.

A Roach yorker hit Siddique on the foot in the front of the stumps, and he was leg before wicket (lbw) after 25 off 27 balls.

Shakib paid for not defending a Benn delivery and was bowled for eight at 41-5 in the 11th.

Raqibul Hassan was next for 4, caught by Kieron Pollard at point off Sammy, who took 3-21 from his seven.

End came quickly
When Naeem Islam edged Benn behind for one, the end came quickly. Ashraful’s attempted big drive at Roach was only nicked to wicketkeeper Devon Thomas, and he left for 11. Roach took 3-19, moving him to 10 wickets in three games.

In the next over, Benn finished off the innings. Pollard took a great grass-high catch at gully to see off Shafiul Islam, then Benn yorked Rubel Hossain, both batsman failing to score. Benn conceded one run in his last three overs.

In reply, West Indies opener Devon Smith was bowled by Naeem for six, but victory was inevitable, and Gayle and Darren Bravo were untroubled.

West Indies has won two straight after an opening loss to Group B leader South Africa. West Indies doesn’t play for another week, against Ireland in Mohali, the same day Bangladesh hosts England in Chittagong. — Sapa-AP