Six-shooter Lawson - Bangladesh sink to new low
Dailystarnews.com

West Indies fast bowler Jermaine Lawson took six wickets for three runs as records tumbled at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. The 20-year-old Jamaican needed only 15 balls to inflict a stunning collapse on Bangladesh and wind up the first Test of the Coca-Cola series inside three days.

The home side, set to score an improbable 397 runs to make the visitors bat again, were bundled out for 87 after the tea break. It was their lowest total in 16 Tests. Previously it was 90 against Sri Lanka in an Asian Test Championship match last year.

The meek surrender by an innings and 310 runs was the biggest margin defeat suffered by the fledgling Test nation. It was also the seventh largest margin defeat in the history of Test cricket. The West Indies' first innings score of 536 is the second highest total on this ground.

Bangladesh's second essay lasted only 151 minutes after the West Indies, who began the day on 400-5, piled on the misery of the home team, adding another 136 runs before being all out after lunch. The only disappointment for the Caribbeans was that their captain Ridley Jacobs was left stranded on 91 after last man Lawson was trapped leg before by Talha Jubair.

Lawson began the carnage of wickets by removing Aminul Islam with the third ball of his fourth over.

The tall speedster, who looked very unimpressive until Pedro Collins finally broke the stubborn third wicket stand between Habibul Bashar and Aminul, suddenly sprang into life with only half an hour left in the day's play.

On his way to career-best figures in just his third Test match, Lawson took three wickets in four balls of his fifth over that also included Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud and first innings half-centurion Alok Kapali.

Mashud returned for a first-ball duck and though Kapali avoided the hattrick ball but perished off the last delivery of that eventful over.

Lawson then found the edge of Enamul Hoque in his next over and, fittingly, he wrapped up the Bangladesh innings with the wickets of Taposh Baishya and Talha Jubair.

His demolition act came as such a surprise that it left the organisarers in utter disorder. While everybody was expecting the game to go into the fourth day, Lawson forced the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to hastily arrange an after-match ceremony without a guest of honour.

His fantastic figures of 6.5-4-3-6 earned him the man-of-the-match award ahead of Barbados paceman Vasbert Drakes.

Drakes, who took four wickets in the first innings, earlier began Bangladesh's top-order collapse with the removal of the first three batsmen.

Bangladesh got off to a brisk start in their second innings with Hannan Sarker and Anwar Hossain putting on 30 runs in nine overs before Hannan played a rash shot and was caught at gully. The right-hander top-scored with 25 that included five boundaries.

Bashar was the other batsman to cross the 20s in an innings where as many as six batsmen scored ducks.

Talha was the only solace for Bangladesh before going into the second Test starting in Chittagong on December 16. He celebrated his 17th birthday yesterday with three for 135.

(c) Dailystarnews.com

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