Saturday 8 December 2012

West Indies tried hard but lost

Bangladesh won the ODI series:


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 was 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, Tamim Iqbal was bowled playing across the line, Anamul Haque fended a rising delivery to point, and Jahurul Islam nicked one that burst off a length to the wicketkeeper. Kemar Roach had Bangladesh were 30 for 3 in the ninth over. The previous evening, the collapse ended only when the hosts were shot out for 136, but not in this deciding contest.

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