Bangladesh Brutalised

Nasir Hossain is bowled as
Bangladesh collapses

Just as spin bowling is the subtlest art in the game of cricket, fast bowling is a brutal, frightening thing. The last day of the first Test at Mirpur, Dhaka, proved both to be true.

The West Indies lasted only ten overs and boosted their overnight score by less than thirty to set up a run chase of little more than three an over. Sohag Gazi took all four wickets to give him the splendid innings figures of 6-74 on debut and nine wickets for the match. There was guile about his work, ripping big off breaks and then having his victims wafting at phantoms. Darren Sammy went back to one that was pushed through and was plum, whilst Ravi Rampaul, Tino Best and the mysteriously injured Shiv Chanderpaul, batting last, were all out to balls which came straight at their sticks whilst they searched for spin. For Chanderpaul, it was the first time in his long Test career he had batted below No 8 and only seventh time below No 6. No word from the captain or team management as to why.

Set 245 for victory, Bangladesh were intimidated from the get-go by Tino Best. He took four wickets either side of lunch that crippled a batting line-up that was so close to a splendid success that they became timid, forgetting that part of their game which is their strength. Gone was the position in behind the ball and the wristy attacking strokes. Instead Best, bowling fast and mostly short, got them on the back foot where they cowered and crumbled. After Tamim lived and died by the sword, throwing every ounce at a shortish ball from Rampaul which got big on him, the rest were Bested. With Bangladesh on task just before lunch, Junaid Suddique tried to run the ball off the face of the bat to third man but edged instead to Dinesh Ramdin. In a seven over spell after lunch, Best peppered Shariar Nafees with short fast stuff aimed at his breastbone and the batsman's first counter attack, an attempted pull shot, top edged its way to the bowlers hands. Al Hasan was squared up by one that left him from middle and Ramdin had his third catch. Mushfiqur was constantly pushed back by short stuff from Best and was still there when a fuller ball came back at his pads.

Too good or just the Best?

Versammy Permaul took the next three, the Bangladeshis having no idea what to do with him as he varied his pace and flight delightfully. Sohag and Mahmudullah mounted a brief but defiant rear guard action for the eighth wicket which Permaul ended, fooling Sohag into an attempted thump over long on which just went straight up. Rampaul lifted one into Shahadat Hossain's ribs and he was ill-equipped to do anything but bunt it to Keiran Powell at short leg. Best finished it, hitting Mahmudullah three times with short balls and then spearing a full delivery into his stumps as the batsmen backed away to square leg.

Keiran Powell was deservedly named Man of the Match for his twin centuries, although in must be a rare event when a batsman scores a double century and doesn't take the award.

As is often the case with minnows, sustaining the effort for five days is hard work and confronted by the sort of physical and verbal aggression Tino Best displayed on the last day, part time players will always struggle.

The second and final Test of the series starts in Khulna on Wednesday.