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Samuels’ blitz gives Windies T20 victory Mahmudullah is bowled by Sunil Narine (WICB).
Darren Bravo cuts during his 51 (WICB).
Marlon Samuels gathers run on the leg-side (WICB).
DHAKA, Bangladesh – Marlon Samuels made sure West Indies signed off their tour of Bangladesh on a triumphant note with a confident, 18-run victory over the hosts in a T20 International on Monday here. Samuels reproduced the same explosive batting that helped them the Windies win the World Twenty20 Tournament two months ago, slamming three fours and nine sixes in a brutal, undefeated 85 that earned him the Man-of-the-Match award and propelled the visitors to 197 for four from their allocation of 20 overs, after they chose to bat on
a flat Sher-e-Bangla Stadium pitch. He put on 66 for the third wicket with Darren Bravo, whose 41 from 28 balls included five fours and two sixes, after West Indies stumbled to 30 for three in the fifth over before leading an assault in the closing over to add 76 – unbroken – for the fifth wicket with Lendl Simmons. The Windies claimed just one wicket, as Tamim Iqbal, not out on 88, and Mahmudullah, not out on 64, shared 132 – unbroken – for the second wicket, but failed to take Bangladesh over the finish line. The Caribbean side underlining
their status as the reigning World T20 champions with steady, if not penetrative bowling supported by athletic fielding. The match brought to a close the six-week trip to Bangladesh for West Indies which included a 2-0 Test series victory and 2-3 One-day International series defeat. Chris Gayle again fell cheaply, when Rubel Hossain bowled him for six in the third over, and Smith fell in similar fashion to the same bowler two overs later. Bravo entered and signalled his intentions from the very first delivery he faced, a languid extra
cover drive for four, and dominated the stand with Samuels. The left-hander was stumped, charging off-spinner Sohag Gazi in the 12th over, and after Kieron Pollard was bowled by Ziaur Rahman for 15 in the 15th over, the Windies were 121 for four. Samuels changed the course of the innings with his subliminal batting, hitting left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak for two sixes before closing with vicious assault on Rubel, crashing 29 from the final over, condemning the Bangladesh fast bowler to concede the second highest number of runs in a T20I.
A change of ends for Kemar Roach brought West Indies a breakthrough, when Anamul Haque was caught at mid-off for 22, after he shared 47 for the first wicket with Tamim. The Windies met defiance from Tamim and Mahmudullah for the rest of the innings – but Gayle four overs that cost 18 pulled things back for the visitors in the crucial middle overs and ushered West Indies to victory. Scores: West Indies 197 for 4 (Samuels 85*, Bravo 41) beat Bangladesh 179 for 1 (Tamim 88*, Mahmudullah 64*) by 18 runs.
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