Only cheer from Kapali
Dailystarnews.com

Bangladesh's batting blues showed no signs of ending as they were bundled out for 139 on the opening day of the first Test against West Indies at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Returning to action four days after losing the one-day series 2-0, the home team suffered the same top-order collapse and was eventually shot out in 54.1 overs.

The tourists, in reply, scored 118 for no loss at stumps, raising the prospect of yet another 'three-day Test'. Wavell Hinds was batting on 73 and Chris Gayle 49.

The two left-handed openers sent the Bangladesh bowlers on a leather hunt with Hinds, the more aggressive of the two, completing his 50 off 75 balls that included ten savage hits across the rope.
The morning however showed totally a different picture after West Indies captain Ridley Jacobs won the toss and invited the hosts to bat first.

Left-arm paceman Pedro Collins, returning to the side after being rested in the one-day series, set the tone striking with the very first ball of the innings that sent the off-stump of Hannan Sarker cart wheeling.

Debutant Anwar Hossain followed his opening partner in the next over, playing an expansive drive off Vasbert Drakes to be caught behind the wicket.

Collins then removed Mohammad Ashraful for six and Habibul Bashar, who scored an aggressive 24, leaving Bangladesh tottering at 40 for four.

Bashar however become first Bangladesh batsman to score 1,000 runs in Test cricket when the stylish right-hander, starting his 16th Test on 990 that included nine 50s and a solitary century, clobbered 11 runs in the second over of Drakes. The 30-year-old batsman threw away his wicket when he was looking confident of reaching his tenth half-century.

Things turned from bad to worse when experienced batsman Aminul Islam was trapped in front of the wicket by fast bowler Jermaine Lawson for one. By then Bangladesh lost half their wickets for 44.

And it was at that stage Alok Kapali and skipper Khaled Mashud joined together to dead-lift the battered team putting on 73 runs for the sixth wicket.

An ever-improving Kapali, fresh after his 89 not out in the third one-day, scored a dominating 52 off 99 balls.

It was the highest score for the young right-hander in five-day contest, surpassing his previous best of 39 against Sri Lanka.

Already with a reputation of being Bangladesh's crisis man, the 19-year-old from Sylhet struck nine boundaries.

Mashud played a captain's knock of 24 before becoming the second victim of Drakes, who also removed Kapali in successive overs of his second spell to make a memorable Test debut.

The 33-year-old paceman from Barbados, who tormented the Bangladesh batting in the one-day series where he captured 12 wickets, maintained his lofty standards finishing with 4-58.

Collins, who started the rot, also took the last wicket to finish with 5-58. It was his second five-wicket haul after his 6-76 against New Zealand in June this year.

(c) Dailystarnews.com

Best viewed with 800x640/Internet Explorer resolution