Captain’s effort upstages Samuels’ in one-off Twenty20 against West Indies

Rampaul concedes only two runs in his first four balls before Rahim’s six sealed the win.

DHAKA: Mushfiqur Rahim led Bangladesh from the front with an unbeaten 26-ball 41 as the hosts ended their 12-match losing streak in Twenty20s with a three-wicket win over West Indies.

Rahim, playing his first game as captain since replacing Shakibal Hasan, hit a six off fast-bowler Ravi Rampaul on the penultimate delivery of the match, taking Bangladesh to 135 for seven after they had restricted West Indies to 132.

The hosts had been set for a cliff-hanger finish with 20 needed in the final two overs on a sluggish Mirpur wicket, but Rahim and Nasir Hossain took 14 runs in the penultimate over to bring the equation down to six in six. Rampaul conceded only two runs in his first four balls before Rahim’s six sealed the win.

The defeat was hard for all-rounder Marlon Samuels, who scored 58 off 42 balls with two fours and four sixes to give West Indies some respectability, before returning figures of two for 14 with the ball.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2011.