Tigers rally to win first ODI

A switch to one-day cricket seemed to have transformed Bangladesh into a completely different team as the Tigers romped to a clinical 48-run win in the first of three ODIs against West Indies in Guyana yesterday.

Skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza took four for 37 as West Indies were restricted to 231 for nine in 50 overs. Bangladesh had scored 279 for four, riding on opener Tamim Iqbal's unbeaten 130 and Shakib Al Hasan's 97.

West Indies were nine down in the 41st over with the score on 172, but tailenders Alzarri Joseph and Devendra Bishoo batted out the 50 overs to reduce the margin.

Mustafizur Rahman, returning from injury, took two wickets in the 36th over -- dismissing the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer for 52 and Rovman Powell for a first-ball duck -- to load the dice in Bangladesh's favour.

Earlier, After skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, recalled opener Anamul Haque had departed in the second over for a duck, leaving the score on one for one, but unlike in the Tests there was no panic that led to Bangladesh being all out for 43 -- their lowest ever Test total. Instead, they set the right kind of records -- racking up their highest total in West Indies, besides Bangladesh's highest ever second-wicket stand of 207 between Shakib and Tamim.

West Indies were however guilty of letting the duo off four times. After Tamim broke the shackles with three boundaries in the ninth over from Andre Russell, he was dropped at cover off Alzarri Joseph when on 17. He again benefitted when, on 22, he edged off-spinner Ashley Nurse and Chris Gayle was late to react at slip in the 14th over. In the very next over Shakib was dropped at slip off Joseph when on 15. When he had reached 84, Shimron Hetmyer dropped a top-edged sweep off Devendra Bishoo in the 39th over.    

The pair, who batted together for 264 balls, took it slow because they understood that the pitch was slow and a total in excess of 250 would challenge the West Indies, who are weak against spin. When Shakib departed, caught off the slog sweep off Bishoo for a 121-ball 97 with the score on 208 in the 45th over, the innings had slowed down. Sabbir Rahman came and went for three, being wrongly given out stumped as his foot was still behind the line when the bails came off. It was then that Mushfiqur Rahim came in and hit an 11-ball 30 with three fours and two massive sixes. Tamim too sped up after reaching his 10th ODI century off his 146th delivery, adding 30 runs from his last 14 balls as Bangladesh scored 53 runs in the last three overs.