Hope’s hundred in vain as Windies crumble

(CMC) – STYLISH Shai Hope stroked his second straight One-Day International hundred and fourth in eight innings but his fireworks were negated by a ragged fielding effort, as West Indies crashed to an eight-wicket loss to Bangladesh in the second match of the Tri-Nations Series here yesterday.

Opting to bat first at Castle Avenue in frigid temperatures which dipped below 10 degrees Celsius, West Indies were restricted to a disappointing 261 for nine off their 50 overs, with Hope top-scoring with 109 off 132 deliveries.

Roston Chase chipped in with 51 while opener Sunil Ambris, who replaced the injured John Campbell, got 38, as West Indies found themselves well poised at 205 for two in the 41st over.

However, fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza claimed three for 49 while left-arm seamers Mohammad Saifuddin (2-47) and Mustafizur Rahman (2-84) picked up two wickets apiece as West Indies lost their last seven wickets for 55 runs inside the last 10 overs to squander their early momentum.

In reply, attacking openers Tamim Iqbal (80) and Soumya Sarkar (73) lashed half-centuries while veteran Shakib-al-Hasan unveiled a classy unbeaten run-a-ball 61, propelling Bangladesh to their target with five overs to spare.

The defeat for the Windies follows their impressive 196-run crushing of Ireland in Sunday’s opening match at the same venue.

Hope, adjudged Man-of-the-Match for another accomplished innings, gave the Caribbean side the early advantage when he put on 89 for the first wicket with Ambris.
The right-hander, who made a splendid 170 on Sunday, struck 11 fours and one six while Ambris faced 50 deliveries and counted four fours.

West Indies lost Ambris and left-hander Darren Bravo (1) in successive overs to be 90 for two in the 18th over but Hope then combined with Chase to add a further 115 for the third wicket.

Neither batsman really chanced his arm, seeking rather to rotate the strike as West Indies laid the foundation for a late charge.

Hope reached his half-century off 63 balls in the 21st over when he worked Mehidy square for a single and became the fastest West Indies player to reach 2 000 runs in ODIs when he clipped left-arm spinner Shakib to mid-wicket for a single in the next over.
The 25-year-old notched his sixth ODI hundred at the end of the 39th over with a lovely punch of the back foot to the extra cover boundary off Saifuddin.

Chase, who struck two fours and a six off 62 balls to record his maiden ODI fifty, perished two overs later when he top-edged Mashrafe to short fine leg.

His dismissal triggered a slide with Hope following in the 43rd over, picking out extra cover off Mashrafe and captain Jason Holder (4) falling two balls later to a catch at the wicket. West Indies lost their way steadily and needed Ashley Nurse’s 19 to get past 250 in the end.

Left-handers Tamim and Soumya then handed Bangladesh a superb start when they put on 144 for the first wicket to all but erase any doubt about the result.
Tamim, dropped on one by a diving Chase at cover off seamer Kemar Roach in the second over, faced 117 balls and struck seven fours while Soumya counted nine fours and a six in an entertaining 68-ball knock.

When Soumya found Bravo on the ropes at mid-wicket with a firm pull off Chase’s off-spin in the 26th over, West Indies harboured thoughts of a late surge but Shakib quickly dashed those hopes with a high-quality knock.

The left-hander hit three fours and two sixes, posting 52 for the second with Tamim and another 68 in an unbroken third-wicket stand with wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim whose 32 came from 25 balls and included a brace of fours and sixes.