FATULLAH, Bangladesh – West Indies opened their tour of Bangladesh with a convincing 81-run victory over a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI here yesterday, as they warmed up for the limited-overs series starting next week.
Sent in at the Narayanganj Osmani Stadium, the tourists struggled to a disappointing 217 for nine from their 45 overs, with stylish left-hander Darren Bravo topscoring with 47.
Seamer Ravi Rampaul then snatched four for 23 to send the BCB XI crashing for a paltry 152 off 41 overs.
Head coach Ottis Gibson would not have been impressed with his side’s sluggish start, as they slipped to 45 for two in the 16th over.
Lendl Simmons laboured 20 balls over four before falling in the seventh over while 21-year-old rookie partner Kieran Powell managed 18 off 41 balls before also departing.
Bravo and Marlon Samuels came together to patch up the innings with a 59-run, third-wicket stand that consumed 71 balls.
While Bravo faced 74 balls and struck five fours and a six, Samuels got 30 off 47 balls with two fours. Both fell within the space of 30 balls with 15 runs added, and when Danza Hyatt fell for 14, the Windies were tottering on 128-5 in the 34th over.
However, captain Darren Sammy and the recalled Denesh Ramdin combined in a 57-run sixth wicket stand to stabilise the innings.
Sammy struck 27 from 24 balls with three fours, while Ramdin stroked a cameo 30 from 23 balls with two fours and a six.
The right-handed Sammy fell in the 41st over at 185, sending the innings into decline as Ramdin followed in the next over, and debutant Carlos Brathwaite (two) and all-rounder Andre Russell (eight) failed to produce any late cameos.
The West Indies’ next match will be against Bangladesh in the lone Twenty20 International next Tuesday in Dhaka. (CMC)
