Caribbean clean sweep
Dailystarnews.com - Hasan Masood, Chittagong

West Indies completed a clean sweep when they won the second and final Test by seven wickets at the MA Aziz Stadium here yesterday.

It was yet another three-day defeat for Bangladesh in their 17th Test but not before young Alok Kapali entertained the boisterous home crowd with 85, his highest score in the five-day game.
The 18-year-old batsman led a spectacular recovery after the home team, resuming the day on 40 for no loss, slumped to 126-5.

His scintillating 111-ball knock that contained a dozen boundaries and two sixes including a magnificent pull off paceman Vasbert Drakes over mid-wicket kept Bangladesh in the hunt against a gradually frustrated West Indies pace battery.
Kapali's half-century in successive Tests helped Bangladesh score 212 in their second innings, giving the visitors an easy 110 runs to chase.

The homesick Caribbeans were in no mood to take the match into the fourth day as they overhauled the target in only 21.3 overs. Marlon Samuels hit the winning runs with a four off Kapali through mid-wicket, and with that the young guns of West Indies brought an end to a very successful tour of the subcontinent.

Flying in from India where they drew the final Test in Kolkata and won the seven-match one-day series 4-3, West Indies carried on the fantastic work by clinching the three-match ODI series 2-0.

Led by Ridley Jacobs in absence of injured Carl Hooper, the tourists won the first Test in Dhaka by an innings and 310 runs.

Having scored their new low in the first Test (87 in the second innings), Bangladesh showed a lot of determination and improvement in the second Test.

Needing 62 runs more to make West Indies bat again, Bangladesh struggled against a more penetrative West Indies attack in a trying condition early in the morning, where the wickets offered variable bounce.

Hannan Sarkar was undone by a delivery from Drakes in the fifth over that never took off after pitching on the off-stump.

Left-arm paceman Pedro Collins removed Habibul Bashar for a duck with a great snorter, which the right-hander could only fend off to wicketkeeper Jacobs.

Opener Al-Shahriar was looking good to carry on the fight that started after tea on Tuesday but he was trapped leg before by an in-swinger from Daren Powell.

After the three quick dismissals Sanwar Hossain and Mohammed took the score to 100 but both perished while going for indiscreet shots.

Sanwar, on 24, unnecessarily flashed Jermaine Lawson and ended up offering a regulation slip catch. With the lunch break only minutes away, Ashraful went for an adventurous drive over extra-cover but was caught by Sarwan off the same bowler.

Alok and Enamul Hoque produced 73 runs for the seventh wicket after Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud left his team at 137 for six.

The pair defied the West Indies attack for nearly two hours with Enamul playing the best supporting role. Braving a barrage of blows on his body, the veteran left-hander stood firm on the crease and saw off 64 balls, letting Kapali do the scoring.

Kapali reached his 50 in 93 minutes off 67 balls. But the talented cricketer who was closing in on his maiden hundred departed in the last over before tea while hooking Powell behind the wicket.

His dismissal brought a quick end to the Bangladesh innings as West Indies needed only 20 balls to clean up the tail.

Alok Kapali was adjudged man-of-the-match but man-of-the-series went to West Indies pacer Jarmine Lawson, who took 11 wickets in the series including a magnificent 6-3 in Dhaka last week.

West Indies will fly home on Saturday.

(c) Dailystarnews.com

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