Bangladesh's batsmen held it together, but only just. After failing to
chase 211 last night, they overcame three difficult phases in their
pursuit of a target of similar proportion, to win a series they had led
2-0 but almost let slip out of their grasp. Twenty-four hours after
their fans exited Shere Bangla in despair, the stadium was a venue of
riotous celebration, as Nasir Hossain carved the winning boundary to
drag his team to a two-wicket victory and claim the series against West
Indies 3-2.
There was chaos at the finish. With one run needed, Nasir smashed the
ball over cover and raised his arms in triumph as he completed the
winning run. His partner, the No. 10 Elias Sunny, however, did not make
it to the other end because he thought the ball had gone for four. The
fielder in the deep returned it and Kieran Powell uprooted a stump amid
the celebrations. Darren Sammy's protests that a run had not been
completed prompted the umpires to check. No run had indeed been
completed; nobody had been run out either. Everyone took their positions
again and Nasir's slashing bat sparked off another round of
celebrations.
The confusion in those final moments was in contrast to the calm with
which Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Nasir steered a tense chase,
after Bangladesh's bowlers had recovered admirably from a Kieron Pollard
battering.
Chasing 217, Bangladesh were 30 for 3 in the ninth over, the top order
unable to withstand Kemar Roach's pace and bounce. The previous evening,
the collapse had ended only when the hosts were shot out for 136, but
not in this deciding contest.
The shift in momentum was immediate; Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah scored 29
runs off the 11 balls following Jahurul's dismissal. West Indies'
bowling was poor: their lengths were too short and their lines were
scattered outside off and down leg side, resulting in 18 wides. They had
conceded 26 extras in each of the previous three ODIs; they gave away
27 today.
Sammy, who excelled with bat and ball in the fourth match, leaked 16
runs in the tenth over. He conceded six runs in wides, bowled a long-hop
that Mahmudullah pulled for four and a half-volley that was driven to
the cover boundary. The change bowlers also struggled. Andre Russell
pitched short and wide and was cut twice by Mushfiqur to the boundary.
Sunil Narine bowled five tight balls in his first over before the sixth
was loose and punished. Roach returned for his second spell in the 19th
over and he too conceded two boundaries.
Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah ran hard between the wickets, and cut and
pulled forcefully. Only when they had added 91 at better than a run a
ball did West Indies have any respite. Both batsmen were bowled by
Narine in their 40s and Bangladesh were in front no more.
After 30 overs in the first innings, West Indies had been 145 for 3.
Bangladesh, at the same stage of their chase, were 148 for 5. West
Indies had collapsed thereafter, though, while Bangladesh did not.
Nasir, in the company of rookie Mominul Haque, added 53 for the sixth
wicket. They consolidated at first, and,once the batting Powerplay was
taken in the 36th over, they attacked. Nasir slogged Veerasammy Permaul
over the midwicket boundary to bring the runs required to fewer than 40.
And when Mominul was dismissed with Bangladesh close, Sohag Gazi took
then closer with quick boundaries. He too fell, but Nasir stayed the
course.
That Bangladesh were not chasing a target closer to 250 was because
their spinners took a clutch of wickets on either side of a 132-run
stand between Pollard and Darren Bravo. They kept West Indies scoreless
for 34 deliveries, between overs 2.6 and 8.4, and dismissed Marlon
Samuels and Chris Gayle during that period to leave the visitors on 17
for 3.
The repair job was up to Bravo and Pollard, who had failed in three
matches after saying he would smash the ball into another city. Pollard
didn't hit any into Khulna, but he hit eight balls for six between
midwicket and long-off, punishing Sunny in particular.
Mushfiqur needed to call on a fifth spinner to dismiss Pollard; Mominul
got one to keep low and sneak past the bat to hit off stump to dismiss
him for 84 for 74 balls. A real scrap was in progress as West Indies
began the last ten overs on 188 for 5 and Mahmudullah struck twice in
the 41st over; his first wicket was of Bravo for 51.
West Indies were dismissed in 48 overs, and in a game of small margins,
12 unused deliveries and 27 runs concedes in extras was the largesse
Bangladesh needed to achieve a momentous result.
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