Bangladesh struggle in big chase

At the halfway stage of the chase, Bangladesh had made only a little more than a third of the runs they needed. They still had nine wickets in hand but had lost the most important one of Tamim Iqbal as they set about trying to reach a target higher than any score they managed in the last two years.

Bangladesh had to make a late change to their batting order as their regular opener Imrul Kayes had been off the field towards the end of the West Indies innings, which meant he couldn't come out to bat immediately. Naeem Islam was sent in instead, and though he constructed a solid innings, it was not as quick as the fans at the Shere Bangla Stadium expected. At one stage, Naeem was 19 off 50 deliveries, and Bangladesh were crawling along at well below four an over.

Bangladesh's best chance of hunting down the target was if Tamim gave them a flier, but he too got bogged down by the new-ball pair of Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul. Tamim tried to break free when spin was introduced, trying to hammer Devendra Bishoo's first ball, but could only edge it to the keeper.

Kayes injected some momentum to the innings with a relatively brisk cameo, but the home side needed to speed up even further if they were to stay in the game.

50 overs West Indies 298 for 4 (Simmons 122, Samuels 71) v Bangladesh

Lendl Simmons finally made his first international hundred, five years after his debut, to power West Indies to a big score in the first ODI against Bangladesh in Mirpur. He was supported by another West Indies batsman who has resurrected his international career this year, Marlon Samuels. The pair put on 150 runs to demoralise a Bangladesh team that was on a high after their dramatic win in the Twenty20 two days ago.

Simmons had made half-centuries in six of his previous nine ODI innings, but failed to reach triple-digits each time. On Thursday, he made a fidgety start before settling in on a surface that didn't have much in it for either the medium-pacers or the spinners.

In the sixth over, he was hurried into a pull which was top-edged just wide of the bowler, then he mistimed a straight drive with which he still managed to find the boundary, before jumping outside leg as he looked to crash a short ball through off without managing to connect. He punched the air in frustration after missing out on a cut in the next over, but then showed how good he could be with fours through cover off the back and front foot.

Simmons was the dominant partner in an opening stand with Adrian Barath, whose usual effervescent batting style wasn't on display in a watchful 21 that consumed 47 deliveries. Barath was struggling with a hamstring problem, and retired hurt after the 15th over, the first victim of the newly introduced ban on runners.

That provided no relief for Bangladesh as Samuels began aggressively - muscling a six over wide long-on and following it up with a slap past cover for four. Both Samuels and Simmons soon settled down and largely dealt in singles against an unthreatening Bangladeshi attack. The odd poor delivery was smacked for a boundary, like the high full toss offered by Shakib Al Hasan in the 29th over, and West Indies smoothly progressed to 133 for 0 after 30 overs.

Simmons then unfurled a couple of nonchalant sixes over long-on off Abdur Razzak to close in on his century. He reached the milestone in the 37th over, a delivery after Samuels was dropped by the keeper. There were more opportunities that Bangladesh wasted in the field, with Simmons, a notoriously poor runner, reprieved at least twice when a direct hit would have run him out.

The final onslaught began in the 40th over, the last of the batting Powerplay, with Simmons bludgeoning a series of fours. The bowler, Shafiul Islam, also sprayed one down the leg side to concede five wides as 21 runs came off the over, leaving the new captain Mushfiqur Rahim with his hands on his head.

Both Simmons and Samuels perished in a Rubel Hossain over soon after, but Kieron Pollard produced one more of his hard-hitting cameos - this time a 25-ball 41 that included three massive sixes - to push West Indies close to 300.