Pollard was named Man of the Match for his essential knock of 89
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin both made vital half-centuries to save their side from suffering an embarrassing loss in the first ODI against Bangladesh in Grenada.
However, Bangladesh opener Anamul Haque deserves a huge amount of credit as he scored a valiant century.
West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo would have been delighted with his decision to bowl first after Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal was caught by Pollard at short midwicket off the bowling of Jason Holder for 26.
Imrul Kayes only made nine runs before he was run out by Lendl Simmons.
Shamsur Rahman fared no better as he was caught behind off the bowling of Bravo for eight runs.
Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim failed to help his team out as he was caught by Sunil Narine at short fine leg off the bowling of Chris Gayle for 12 runs.
Mahmudullah mustered 11 runs before he was clean bowled by Bravo.
Haque and Nasir Hossain stabilised the innings with a 53-run partnership before Hossain was caught behind off the bowling of Ravi Rampaul for 26.
Sohag Gazi scored two runs before he was run out by Gayle.
Mashrafe Mortaza accumulated three runs before he was caught by Pollard at deep midwicket off the bowling of Bravo.
Haque ended up scoring his third ODI century before he was given out lbw off the bowling of Bravo.
Haque’s outstanding knock of 109 came off 138 balls and included 11 boundaries and a six.
Haque scored a gutsy century
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Thanks to Haque, Bangladesh finished on 217/9 off their 50 overs.
Bravo was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets, while Rampaul, Holder and Gayle chipped in with one wicket apiece.
Chasing 218 to win, the West Indies got off to an awful start as Gayle, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Simmons and Dwayne Bravo were all dismissed in quick succession to leave the hosts reeling at 34/5.
Ramdin and Pollard rescued the West Indies from a precarious position with a crucial 145-run partnership, during which both batsmen brought up their half-centuries, before Ramdin was cleaned up by Gazi for 74, which came off 76 balls and included six boundaries and a six.
Ramdin struck six boundaries and a six during his knock of 74
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Pollard went on to score 89 off just 70 deliveries, which included five boundaries and six sixes, before he was caught by Mahmudullah at long-on off the bowling of Al-Amin Hossain.
Holder and Narine mopped up the remaining runs with relative ease to lead the West Indies to a three-wicket win.
Hossain was the most successful bowler with four wickets, while Gazi, Mahmudullah and Mortaza claimed one wicket each.
Rahim was disappointed with the loss, and said: “We were 20-25 runs short. The batsmen kept getting out. Anamul batted well but there was no one supporting him. They didn’t play their best innings. Our bowlers did a great job at the front, taking those five wickets, but we were unable to keep the pressure. We gave away too many loose balls after that, so there were some positives to take, but we have to play our best game to win here. It is not impossible to win here, but we have to do the right things, and not only in a short space of time, but we need to do it over a longer period.”
Bravo was pleased to have taken a 1-0 lead, and said: “I think it was a great team effort. Ramdin and Pollard was one of the better innings I have seen both play. [There is a] lot of room for improvement, especially after the shaky start. It is good to see that two of our top five batsmen can score the big runs and then Holder took us home. I expected a lot more this morning with the newer ball, but the wicket was quite low. I am very happy with the total the guys kept the Bangladesh team to, but we all still need to dig deeper and not depend on the lower order to help us win matches.
“Our bowlers more often than not deliver for us, so it is time for the batsmen to do so as well. We want to play aggressive, fearless cricket. We have some important players in our setup, like Gayle and Pollard, and the management back them no matter what the situation. The style and brand we are looking for is to get back into the old-time days.”
Pollard was named Man of the Match, and said: “Last couple of innings in the CPL I have been striking the ball well. Thank god I had the opportunity with 34 for 5. Ramdin and I were able to pull it off but at the end of the day the bowlers restricted them to 217. The pressure was definitely there, and you had to choose the balls and play each ball on its merit. No one needs to tell me that but I hope to keep doing that going forward. Very disappointed with getting out, especially after getting our team to that position. We disappointed the team in that aspect, but thankfully Holder brought the team home, and we can learn from this in future.”