KHULNA – West Indies used fast bowler Tino Best’s six-wicket haul as the impetus for a crushing ten-wicket victory over Bangladesh to secure a clean sweep of the two-Test series yesterday.
The ebullient Best, who had sliced through the top order the previous evening, returned to haunt Bangladesh again to finish with six for 40 as the hosts were dismissed for 287, 45 minutes before lunch on the final day at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium.
Twenty-year-old Nasir Hossain, unbeaten on 64 overnight, single-handedly carried the fight for Bangladesh but fell disappointingly six short of a century, to signal the end of any serious resistance.
Set 27 to win, West Indies traded mainly in boundaries to reach 30 without loss off just 28 balls, and complete victory with two sessions to spare.
The victory was West Indies’ fourth on the trot after they won last week’s first Test by 77 runs in Dhaka, and also swept a similar two-Test series against New Zealand earlier this year.
“It’s a good feeling when you are winning, and it’s even better when you plan and you go out and execute and see your teammates perform consistently,” said captain Darren Sammy.
“It was good being a part of this Test series and to see the little steps we are taking in bettering ourselves and moving up the ladder in Tests.”
With Bangladesh needing an enormous effort to save the Test after resuming at 226 for six, there was little doubt about the result once Mahmudullah brushed a sweep at left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul through to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, off the fourth ball of the morning with just two runs added.
Nasir Hossain and Sohag Gazi then held up the Windies victory march with a busy 26 off 32 balls for the eighth wicket.
Nasir adventurously pulled Fidel Edwards backward of square for four and followed up in the next over by clearing the mid-wicket boundary with Permaul.
Overall, he struck 11 fours and a six off 157 balls in three-and-a-half hours at the crease.
Best curtailed the Bangladeshi mini fightback, striking with his first ball of the morning to bowl Gazi middle stump as the tail-ender played down the wrong line at 254 for seven.
In his next over, he spectacularly removed Nasir’s leg-stump with a full length delivery to end the right-hander’s quest for three figures, and pick up his second five-wicket haul in as many Tests.
With little to lose, Rubel Hossain lived dangerously in his 14, taking three boundaries from an Edwards over, with a mixture of bold and streaky shots.
Dropped by Edwards at mid-on off Permaul after another loose aerial stroke, Rubel succumbed one ball later when he slapped a short, fast delivery to Darren Bravo at mid-off to give Best his sixth wicket and career-best figures in Tests.
Chris Gayle then blasted five fours, including three in one over off seamer Rubel Hossain, as West Indies cruised home.
Left-hander Kieran Powell formalized the win with consecutive sweeps to the fine-leg boundary off off-spinner Naeem Islam. (CMC)
