Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim celebrates the team’s Twenty20 win over the West Indies with team-mate Abdur Razzak after smacking a six in the penultimate ball of the innings at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday. — Sanaul Haque Mushfiqur Rahim led Bangladesh from the front with 41 not out as the home side ended their 12-match losing streak in the Twenty20 International with a three-wicket win over West Indies in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Mushfiq, playing his first game as captain after replacing Sakib al Hasan, hit a six off paceman Ravi Rampaul in the penultimate delivery of the last over, taking Bangladesh to 135-7 after spinners had restricted West Indies to 132-8.
This is Bangladesh’s first win in the Twenty20 International in 13 matches and fourth overall. Their last win also came against West Indies in the inaugural match of the World Twenty20 in 2007.
The hosts were set for a cliffhanger with 20 runs needed in last two overs on a sluggish Mirpur wicket but Mushfique and Nasir Hossain took 14 runs in the 19th over to bring the equation down to six runs in six balls.
Rampul conceded only one run in his first three balls and dismissed Nasir to send a shiver of cold in Bangladesh’s dressing room. His fourth ball struck new batsman Abdur Razzak on the toes but he somehow managed to a run giving strike back to Mushfique.
The skipper did not want to spoil a chance of becoming a hero on his debut in this role and immediately took his chance, hoisting Rampaul for a huge six over mid-wicket to leave the crowd screaming with joy.
But the journey towards the win was never very easy. Tamim Iqbal (11) Imrul Kayes (22) gave the side a positive start before three wickets in three consecutive overs, with the team stuttering at 4-52.
After Imrul had become a spectacular catch of Danza Hyatt off Anthony Martin, Sakib al Hasan suffered a first-ball duck leaving Bangladesh’s run chase in total disarray.
Alok Kapali looked
extremely nervous in every ball he faced before his painstaking innings of two
runs had ended at point with Martin taking the catch spectacularly to give Carlos Brathwaite his first international wicket.
When Mohammad Ashraful also departed making 24 off 25 balls, it all came to the little shoulder of Mushfiq, who kept his cool under pressure and steered the side to a win which was also crucial for their morale ahead of the one-day and Test series.
Mushfiq began the day with luck on his side winning his first toss as
captain to opt for
bowling, a decision which was later vindicated by spinners.
Razzak delivered the first blow before Marlon
Samuels had hit Rubel Hossain two sixes in three balls to take momentum for a brief period. But Sakib forced them to cut the attacking instinct with
his controlled bowling taking 2-25.
Rubel came back strongly in his final spell while two-wicket burst in the final over gave Shafiul Islam Bangladesh’s best return with 2-19.
His first victim was Samuels who hung till the final over before edging the paceman behind the stumps to end his 42-ball innings of 58 that
featured two fours and four sixes.
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