RYAN WATSON taking evasive action.

by EZRA STUART

THE BOYS from Bangladesh are bubbly and buoyant.

It wasn't batting and bowling at its brilliant best but Bangladesh blazed their way to back-to-back Cricket World Cup warm-up wins with a seven-wicket demolition of Scotland at the 3Ws Oval yesterday to follow Tuesday's tense two-wicket triumph over New Zealand.

With captain Habibul Bashar stroking six lovely fours in
making 57 not out off 87 balls, Bangladesh easily overtook Scotland's modest total of 152 for nine in their allotted overs, reaching 156 for three off 34.1 overs to win with 15.5 overs to spare.

The stylish Mohammad Ashraful put on the finishing touches, hastening the victory for Bangladesh by spanking five fours in a cameo 23 not out off only 20 balls after he came to the crease following the dismissal of middle order batsman Sakib al Hasan, who made a fluent 45 off 55 deliveries with six fours.

Bashar and Hasan had charted the victory course, featuring in a third-wicket partnership of 76 runs after linking up at 32 for two in the seventh over when No.3 batsman Aftab Ahmed retired hurt on 19.

That was the third hiccup for the Bangladeshis as they were in a spot of bother at seven for two, losing both openers Tamim Iqbal and Shahriar Nafees cheaply in a spirited Scottish five-over burst after they were bowled out for their disappointing total half hour before lunch.

The Scots, who were inserted on a placid pitch, never really recovered from the early loss of opener Majid Haq, who was run out for five by Bashar's direct hit of the stumps at the bowler's end from mid-on as he tried to scamper a quick single in the sixth over with the total of 12.

The tall, elegant Navdeep Poonia announced himself with some sweetly-timed shots on both sides of the square as he immediately went on the attack, scoring a breezy 32 off 34 balls with five fours.

But just when he seemed set for a significant score, he gifted his wicket with a casual back-foot cut to cover point off the bowling of fast medium bowler Tapash Baisya.

Afterwards, left-arm spinners Abdur Razzak and Mohammad Rafique dried up the runs with some miserly bowling as they share five wickets and reduced the Scots to 96 for six by the halfway stage.

Razzak had triggered the slide, pinning opener Fraser Watts, who batted patiently over 57 balls for 28, on the back foot for a clear leg-before-wicket verdict. He also spun one past Gavin Hamilton's tentative defensive bat and hit the stump while Ryan Watson made just five before his casual flick landed in Aftab Ahmed's hand at short mid-wicket.

Rafique was just as stingy, bowling Dougie Brown for three and trapping captain Craig Wright leg before wicket for eight after Tuesday's hero against the Black Caps, Mashrafe Mortaza, accounted for the pesky Neil McCallum, who made 19.

Tailenders John Blain and Glenn Rogers saw the total past the 150-mark with a 22-run last-wicket stand but such a total was hardly enough, especially against the Bangladesh boys, buoyed by beating the Black Caps and beginning to believe in themselves.