In a contest reduced to 41 overs per side due to overnight and early morning showers, it was Bangladesh who emerged victorious over West Indies to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match CG United ODI Series on Sunday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
West Indies managed 149-9 from the allotted overs, a target which Bangladesh overhauled by six wickets with 55 balls remaining.
Batting first, West Indies suffered a massive loss upfront with the usually prolific Shai Hope bowled by Mustafizur Rahman off the first ball he faced.
Fellow opener Kyle Mayers went for 10 at 32-2, before left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam produced a double-wicket maiden, removing Brandon King for 8 and Shamarh Brooks for 33 to leave the home side 55-4.
West Indies lost the next five wickets for 55 runs with Nicholas Pooran scoring 18 and Romario Shepherd 15. At 110-9, Bangladesh were sensing an early innings break, but last pair Anderson Philip (21* off 22) and Jayden Seales (16* off 23) frustrated the tourists with an unbroken last-wicket stand of 39 in 7.2 overs.
Islam took 4-34, while off-spinner Mehidy Hasan, who picked up the big scalps of Pooran, Powell and Mayers, claimed 3-36.
Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein gave West Indies hopes of defending their total, trapping Litton Das for one with just nine runs on the board. Tamim Iqbal was run out from a direct hit for 33 at 49-2, but Najmul Shanto (37) and Mahmudullah Reyad (41*) solidified the innings with a partnership of 49.
Nurul Hasan closed out the match with a breezy 20 not out.
Guyanese left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie was impressive on ODI debut, returning excellent figures of 1-18 off nine overs.
The match result could have been so much different though, had Pooran not overstepped in the process of comprehensively bowling Mahmudullah when on 20 with 45 runs still needed for victory.
In the very next over, Pooran trapped Mahmudullah on the front pad, and after a vociferous appeal was turned down by umpire Joel Wilson, West Indies opted against the review.
Television replays later showed the ball pitched in line and was going to hit leg stump.
That was the last bit of drama on a day that started with the groundstaff being kept busy throughout the morning session to get the pitch and outfield ready for play.
Play eventually started at 11:45h, with two hours, 15 minutes lost.
There were no further interruptions in a match played under spurts of scorching sunshine and overcast conditions.
