Windies taste defeat despite Hope hundred

(CMC):

Stylish Shai Hope stroked his second straight one-day international hundred and fourth in eight innings but his fireworks were negated by a ragged fielding effort, as West Indies crashed to an eight-wicket loss to Bangladesh in the second match of the Tri-Nations Series yesterday.

Opting to bat first at Castle Avenue in frigid temperatures, which dipped below 10 degrees Celsius, West Indies were restricted to a disappointing 261 for nine off their 50 overs, with Hope top-scoring with 109 off 132 deliveries.

Roston Chase chipped in with 51, while opener Sunil Ambris, who replaced the injured John Campbell, got 38 as West Indies found themselves well poised at 205 for two in the 41st over.

However, fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza claimed three for 49 while left-arm seamers Mohammad Saifuddin (2-47) and Mustafizur Rahman (2-84) picked up two wickets apiece as West Indies lost their last seven wickets for 55 runs inside the last 10 overs to squander their early momentum.

In reply, attacking openers Tamim Iqbal (80) and Soumya Sarkar (73) lashed half-centuries, while veteran Shakib-al-Hasan unveiled a classy unbeaten run-a-ball 61, propelling Bangladesh to their target with five overs to spare.

The defeat for the Windies follows their impressive 196-run crushing of Ireland in Sunday's opening match at the same venue.

Hope, adjudged Man of the Match for another accomplished innings, gave the Caribbean side the early advantage when he put on 89 for the first wicket with Ambris.

The right-hander, who made a splendid 170 on Sunday, struck 11 fours and one six, while Ambris faced 50 deliveries and counted four fours.

West Indies lost Ambris and left-hander Darren Bravo (1) in successive overs to be 90 for two in the 18th over, but Hope then combined with Chase to add a further 115 for the third wicket.

Neither batsman really chanced his arm, seeking rather to rotate the strike as West Indies laid the foundation for a late charge.

Hope reached his half-century off 63 balls in the 21st over when he worked Mehidy square for a single and became the fastest West Indies player to reach 2,000 runs in ODIs when he clipped left-arm spinner Shakib to mid-wicket for a single in the next over.