West Indies beat Bangladesh by 18 runs in a one-off Twenty20 International at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Monday. West Indies scored 197-4 in 20 overs while Bangladesh could managed 179-1 in given overs.
Earlier, the loss of two early wickets did not prevent West Indies from posting a formidable score on a good, batting track in Mirpur, in what is their first game as Twenty20 champions. The man who won them the World Twenty20 final, Marlon Samuels, was again among the runs, as he blasted his way to 85, targeting the Bangladesh bowlers in a manner reminiscent of his assault in Colombo.
A bit of early movement for Rubel Hossain helped him nip out the West Indies openers; Chris Gayle’s poor run this tour continued and Dwayne Smith lost his middle stump. But Darren Bravo and Samuels didn’t restrain themselves, with Bravo signalling his intentions right from his first ball that was driven imperiously through extra cover. He then slashed Shafiul Islam through point, before taking on Bangladesh’s spinners. He stepped out to Abdur Razzak, smacking him for two fours and a six and dispatched Mahmudullah’s first delivery over long-on.
Samuels was let off twice by Mushfiqur Rahim, as he tried to open the face against the seamers, but both were thick edges and half chances. He played the supporting role to Bravo in a stand of 66 in seven overs and dominated the innings once the pair was separated by a stumping. Sohag Gazi, the offspinner, dismissed Bravo but didn’t have a debut matching his maiden performances in Tests and ODIs. Kieron Pollard attacked him, launching him for two sixes in an expensive spell, before Samuels made the rest of the innings his own.
Samuels was a picture of absolute confidence, he picked the gaps at will and struck cleanly, silencing a crowd of nearly 19,000 at the Shere Bangla Stadium. He was batting on 27 off 24 at one stage and shifted gears to hammer another 58 off just 19. As he did against Lasith Malinga in that unforgettable innings in the World T20 final, he aimed straight, with immense power and succeeded almost each time. Razzak was struck for two sixes and Rubel was given a taste of what Malinga would have felt.
