West Indies 17 for 1 trail Bangladesh 238 (Mortaza 39, Shahadat 33, Roach 3-46) by 221 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Tino Best leaps in joy after dismissing Tamim Iqbal, West Indies v Bangladesh, 1st Test, St Vincent, 2nd day, July 10, 2009
Tino Best got rid of Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful with similar deliveries © DigicelCricket.com/Brooks La Touche Photography
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Players/Officials: David Bernard | Tino Best | Mashrafe Mortaza | Kemar Roach | Darren Sammy | Shahadat Hossain | Shakib Al Hasan
Matches: West Indies v Bangladesh at Kingstown
Series/Tournaments: Bangladesh tour of West Indies
Teams: Bangladesh | West Indies
It was a dreamy day for the second-string West Indies team. Make no mistake, they are still just a makeshift attack but Bangladesh played poor cricket to be bowled out for 238. It could have been worse, as they were struggling at 172 for 8, but Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain swung their bat bravely post-tea - after rain robbed much of the second session's play - to push Bangladesh towards respectability. They then dealt West Indies an early blow, Shakib Al Hasan trapping Dale Richards, who celebrated his Test debut with a stunning pulled six to get off the mark, plumb in front to ensure Bangladesh ended the day on a high.
In that phase of relative recovery led by Mortaza and Shahadat and later during Shakib's two-over spell, there was turn and bounce on offer to the spinners which would have interested Bangladesh immensely. It would have offered them hope that they could still come back in the game after the meek capitulation by their top-order batsmen against a spirited West Indies team.
West Indies fans wouldn't have expected magic balls from a weakened attack and there weren't any today. However, what they would have hoped for is discipline, commitment, and hunger from the group of men who had been given this unexpected honour to play Test cricket. And they didn't disappoint today. It was a professional, disciplined performance from the bowlers who repeatedly kept hitting the right line and length on a slow wicket. Nearly everyone produced their top game.
Take Tino Best for example. He has, in the past, been guilty of trying to bowl faster than what he was capable of and being erratic as a result. Today, he repeatedly hit the short-of-length in the off-stump channel and slipped in the occasional bouncer. He struck the early blow, luring Tamim Iqbal into a fatal drive with a full delivery outside off in his first over of the day. He returned later to repeat the delivery against Mohammad Ashraful, who also edged it behind. His celebrations after taking a wicket - the wild run and pumping of the fist - remained as colourful as ever.
While Best is a known name in international circuit, what would have really warmed the hearts of Caribbean fans is the emergence of the 21-year old fast bowler Kemar Roach. There was enough on show today to make one believe that Roach won't need a strike by the main players to play for West Indies in the near future. It was said that early in his career he used to chiefly dart his deliveries into the right-handers but in the recent past, he has worked hard to get the one that straightens and even curve away.
There were two Roach moments that stood out today. The first was a lovely rueful smile as he stood in the middle of the pitch after beating the bat for the nth time without any luck. The second, an act of pride, arrived when lady luck eventually smiled on him; he kissed the Caribbean emblem on his shirt after taking every wicket.
His day's work had started with a series of heartbreaks as he repeatedly harassed Raqibul Hasan outside the off stump without any luck. Time and again, Raqibul drove and jabbed his bat inside the line of the deliveries that straightened outside the off stump. Roach got the edge on one occasion but the ball flew straight between first and second slip. Ironically, Roach himself gave a reprieve to Raqibul when he dropped a sitter at backward square leg off the bowling of Darren Sammy. Roach was impressive against the right-hand batsmen but, against the left-handers, he kept pushing the deliveries a touch wide across the body. In the second session, he returned to trouble Mahmudullah with a mixture of outswingers and yorkers before inducing an edge to backward point. And in the final session, he took out Mashrafe Mortaza with a lovely leg cutter.
Like Roach and Best, every bowler did his job. Sammy is your essential bits-and-pieces player who looks unthreatening with ball or bat in hand. But no can accuse him of over-extending himself and being unaware of his limitations. Today, again, he kept it simple, honing in and around the off stump with gentle medium pace. He was a touch lucky to get the wicket of Imrul Kayes, who looked the best of Bangladesh top-order batsmen. Kayes shouldered arms to a length delivery that straightened a touch on the off stump line and was struck on the pad. He was given out lbw though the ball appeared to be missing off.
Dave Bernard's art is very similar to that of Sammy: steady supply of well-directed medium pace bowling. After ending Raqibul's misery with a full delivery that was squeezed straight to gully, he troubled the left-handed Junaid Siddique with his length deliveries that angled away outside off stump. In between, he hurled a short-pitched delivery that was swatted so weakly to cover that he was encouraged to try another one. That did the trick as Siddique pulled weakly straight to short midwicket.
The bowling, though disciplined, didn't deserve six wickets in the morning's play but the Bangladesh batsmen seemed to be in a zombie mode, self-destructing systematically and regularly. Only two batsmen, Kayes and Shakib Al Hasan, showed the right approach and the skill but, unfortunately for Bangladesh, both fell to wrong umpiring decisions. Shakib, who looked assured in his brief stay, tried to sway away from a short delivery from Roach and the ball bounded off his forearm straight to gully.
However, the rest of the main batsmen weren't up to the mark and would have only added more fuel to the critics of Bangladesh. Luckily for them, Mortaza and Shahadat, the bowlers, saved them from total embarrassment.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Clarke and North push Australia ahead
Labels:
marcus north,
michael clark,
Ricky Pointing,
the ashes
Michael Clarke is destined to follow Ricky Ponting as captain of Australia and he took the lead of the current skipper on the third day in Cardiff to guide the visitors ahead by 44 runs. Clarke and Marcus North added 143 for the fifth wicket after England had threatened a fightback during the morning session, but any hope the home side had of remaining on level terms was remorselessly pounded into the Welsh dust.
Clarke appeared set to become the third century-maker of the innings before gloving a pull off Stuart Broad, during the first period of Test cricket in England and Wales played under floodlights, after the players returned following a two-hour rain break. More wet weather is forecast for Saturday and could yet have a major say in the route and outcome of this match. However, the more time that is lost means makes Australia the only side that can take a positive result from this opening encounter.
Ponting and Katich carried their second-wicket partnership to 239 before Katich fell for 122 and when Ponting dragged Monty Panesar into his stumps for 150 Australia were still more than 100 behind. England harboured hopes of first-innings parity, but they couldn't break through during the afternoon session as the attack laboured on a surface that made the five-man unit appear unthreatening.
Clarke is Ponting's heir apparent in so many ways and his innings bore many similarities with that of his captain. There was a swiftness of footwork against the spinners and conviction of strokeplay especially with his driving. He lofted Panesar straight over long-off for six and brought up his half century from 100 balls when he drove the Graeme Swann past mid-off before repeating the dose from the next delivery.
North settled into his first Ashes innings and the talk of his uncertain early-tour form now seems a long time ago. Buoyed by the 191 he made against England Lions last week he watchfully negotiated the early part of his stay before expanding his range. He slog-swept the spinners through and over the leg side and when they tried to go wider outside off he cut through the covers.
Top Curve
Prime Numbers
*
13
The number of scores of 150 or more for Ricky Ponting in Tests, which puts him in fifth place. Brian Lara leads the way with 19 such scores.
*
4
Number of centuries Ponting has scored against England when leading the team. Among Australians, only Allan Border (5) and Don Bradman (10) have scored more hundreds as captains.
*
239
The number of runs added by Ponting and Katich. It's Australia's fourth-highest for the second wicket in Tests in England.
*
39.64
Michael Clarke's average in overseas Tests. At home he averages 58.70.
*
7
The number of times in England that Australia's fifth wicket has added more than the 143 that Michael Clarke and Marcus North put together.
Bottom Curve
Clarke took Australia into the lead with a meaty pull off Flintoff and North reached his half-century from 107 balls. Apart from when the ball was new England's attack posed little threat with Broad leaking runs at more than four-an-over and the spinners unable to build sustained pressure. At least Broad's mood brighten in the evening gloom when he enticed Clarke into a pull that brushed the glove, two overs before the players were off again, but it was another concerning day of hard toil for the home attack.
There were nine overs until the second new ball when play began and if Andrew Strauss was in any doubt whether to take it his mind was soon made up as Panesar and Swann leaked boundaries. Ponting's swift footwork created scoring opportunities against Panesar who had a tendency to bowl too short, while Swann continued to pitch too full with two full tosses racing to the boundary.
The harder ball immediately provided more of a threat although it also raced off the bat as Ponting drove supremely through cover. Finally, after 70 overs, England found a way through as Anderson speared in a yorker at Katich and most importantly for the bowler the ball swung late to end a superb display of concentration and application.
The intensity lifted as Flintoff steamed in and struck Michael Hussey on the helmet, while Anderson was now moving the ball in both directions. Anderson's second scalp came with another full delivery which lured Hussey into a flat-footed drive and Matt Prior took a low catch. England now had the advantage of bowling at two right-handers and Anderson gave Clarke's technique an early probing, but until the 2005 version he withstood the test impressively.
Ponting was continuing along his classy path, only occasionally being discomforted by Anderson's late swing and a beauty from Flintoff that beat the outside edge, although he did top-edge a six over Panesar at long-leg as went to 150 from 221 deliveries.
With the ball still hard Panesar was recalled for another spell and the move paid off handsomely when Ponting got a bottom edge into the stumps. He had played so solidly that it was almost a shock to see him walking back, but it was far from the end of England's problems.
Clarke appeared set to become the third century-maker of the innings before gloving a pull off Stuart Broad, during the first period of Test cricket in England and Wales played under floodlights, after the players returned following a two-hour rain break. More wet weather is forecast for Saturday and could yet have a major say in the route and outcome of this match. However, the more time that is lost means makes Australia the only side that can take a positive result from this opening encounter.
Ponting and Katich carried their second-wicket partnership to 239 before Katich fell for 122 and when Ponting dragged Monty Panesar into his stumps for 150 Australia were still more than 100 behind. England harboured hopes of first-innings parity, but they couldn't break through during the afternoon session as the attack laboured on a surface that made the five-man unit appear unthreatening.
Clarke is Ponting's heir apparent in so many ways and his innings bore many similarities with that of his captain. There was a swiftness of footwork against the spinners and conviction of strokeplay especially with his driving. He lofted Panesar straight over long-off for six and brought up his half century from 100 balls when he drove the Graeme Swann past mid-off before repeating the dose from the next delivery.
North settled into his first Ashes innings and the talk of his uncertain early-tour form now seems a long time ago. Buoyed by the 191 he made against England Lions last week he watchfully negotiated the early part of his stay before expanding his range. He slog-swept the spinners through and over the leg side and when they tried to go wider outside off he cut through the covers.
Top Curve
Prime Numbers
*
13
The number of scores of 150 or more for Ricky Ponting in Tests, which puts him in fifth place. Brian Lara leads the way with 19 such scores.
*
4
Number of centuries Ponting has scored against England when leading the team. Among Australians, only Allan Border (5) and Don Bradman (10) have scored more hundreds as captains.
*
239
The number of runs added by Ponting and Katich. It's Australia's fourth-highest for the second wicket in Tests in England.
*
39.64
Michael Clarke's average in overseas Tests. At home he averages 58.70.
*
7
The number of times in England that Australia's fifth wicket has added more than the 143 that Michael Clarke and Marcus North put together.
Bottom Curve
Clarke took Australia into the lead with a meaty pull off Flintoff and North reached his half-century from 107 balls. Apart from when the ball was new England's attack posed little threat with Broad leaking runs at more than four-an-over and the spinners unable to build sustained pressure. At least Broad's mood brighten in the evening gloom when he enticed Clarke into a pull that brushed the glove, two overs before the players were off again, but it was another concerning day of hard toil for the home attack.
There were nine overs until the second new ball when play began and if Andrew Strauss was in any doubt whether to take it his mind was soon made up as Panesar and Swann leaked boundaries. Ponting's swift footwork created scoring opportunities against Panesar who had a tendency to bowl too short, while Swann continued to pitch too full with two full tosses racing to the boundary.
The harder ball immediately provided more of a threat although it also raced off the bat as Ponting drove supremely through cover. Finally, after 70 overs, England found a way through as Anderson speared in a yorker at Katich and most importantly for the bowler the ball swung late to end a superb display of concentration and application.
The intensity lifted as Flintoff steamed in and struck Michael Hussey on the helmet, while Anderson was now moving the ball in both directions. Anderson's second scalp came with another full delivery which lured Hussey into a flat-footed drive and Matt Prior took a low catch. England now had the advantage of bowling at two right-handers and Anderson gave Clarke's technique an early probing, but until the 2005 version he withstood the test impressively.
Ponting was continuing along his classy path, only occasionally being discomforted by Anderson's late swing and a beauty from Flintoff that beat the outside edge, although he did top-edge a six over Panesar at long-leg as went to 150 from 221 deliveries.
With the ball still hard Panesar was recalled for another spell and the move paid off handsomely when Ponting got a bottom edge into the stumps. He had played so solidly that it was almost a shock to see him walking back, but it was far from the end of England's problems.
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