Bangladesh undone by West Indies' quicks

West Indies 124 for 7 (Smith 62*, Tapash Baisya 4-16) beat Bangladesh 101 for 8 (Bradshaw 3-15) by 23 runs
Scorecard

Man of the Match Dwayne Smith sweeps Khaled Mahmud for six on his way to an unbeaten 62 © Getty Images

The lack of confidence which almost pulled the rug from under West Indies yesterday threatened to return again in the second one-dayer at a soggy Kingstown. After being put in to bat by Bangladesh in a match reduced to 25 overs a side, they limped to 124 for 7. But then their fast bowlers got them out of jail with quick wickets, and in the end the margin of victory was a comfortable 23 runs.

The outfield was wet and slow - the start was delayed by rain for almost four hours - and the ball did not come on to the bat. Dwayne Smith's well-made 62 held West Indies together as all their front-line batsmen - with the exception of Chris Gayle - got in but failed to press home their starts. The manner of their dismissals was also rather subdued, with only Sylvester Joseph caught on the boundary. The rest all fell to half-hearted jabs and swishes. Smith, however, looked assured, sweep-pulling two lovely sixes in an assured innings.

Bangladesh's hero was Tapash Baisya who ended with 4 for 16, all his wickets coming in his last two overs as West Indies tried too late to inject some pace.

Bangladesh's confidence facing a below-par target lasted two overs. In the third, Fidel Edwards struck twice, and from 10 for 2 the brittle middle order never threatened an upset. West Indies didn't bowl particularly well, but against such a fragile line-up they didn't need to. Two of the top order - Habibul Bashar and Alok Kapali - were strangled down the leg side, and two fell to superb catches from Man-of-the-Match Smith. With the exception of Hannan Sarkar (36) and Manjural Islam Rana (33*), Bangladesh had little else to offer.

But the large crowd who rushed to the ground once play started cared little, and were celebrating victory long before the end. At the moment, they will take what they can get.