Bangladesh fail again despite Kapali courage

Bangladesh 194 and 212 West Indies 296 and 111-3 West Indies win by 7 wickets

After two days in which they gave as good as they got, Bangladesh could not sustain the effort and subsided to defeat by seven wickets on the third day of the second Test against the West Indies here yesterday.

A promising overnight position attracted over 10,000 vociferous supporters to the MA Aziz Stadium in the hope, if not expectation, that their team would continue to press the West Indies hard. Their openers had wiped out 40 of the first innings deficit of 102 overnight but the four West Indies fast bowlers rediscovered the consistency they lacked on the previous evening to share the wickets and bowl Bangladesh out for 219 shortly after tea.

Chasing victory before they could be halted by the rapidly fading light, the West Indies knocked off the required 111 for three wickets from 21.3 overs with a volley of 22 fours.

Only a sparkling 85 by Alok Kapali, one of Bangladesh's four teenagers, and his seventh-wicket partnership of 73 with the left-hander Enamul Haque, who contributed nine, kept the crowd's spirits alive and delayed the outcome.

Kapali, a wristy right-hander who turns 19 on 1 January, revealed his quality with 89 in an earlier one-day international and 52 in the first Test that West Indies won by an innings and 310 runs. He disregarded the loss of five wickets before lunch and his captain Khaled Mashud immediately afterwards to dominate the bowling for two hours and 35 minutes.

Kapali's strokeplay, including two hooked sixes and 12 fours, would have been a credit to any contemporary batsman but inexperience and impetuosity prevented him becoming Bangladesh's fourth century-maker in Tests. Hooking at Daren Powell's rapid and well-directed bouncer in the last over before tea, he edged a catch to the wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.

The remaining three wickets fell for two runs and the West Indies wasted no time in completing Bangladesh's 16th loss in the 17 Tests since their elevation to the status two years ago.

For the West Indies, the result brought a satisfying end to a tour that started with the ICC Champions' Trophy in Sri Lanka and continued with Tests and one-day internationals in India and Bangladesh. After losing the Test series in India 2-0, they took the one-day series 4-3 and won two one-day internationals and two Tests here.

Third day; Bangladesh won toss

BANGLADESH – First Innings 194

WEST INDIES – First Innings 296 (D Ganga 63, R D Jacobs 59; Tapash Baisya 4-72)

BANGLADESH – Second Innings (Overnight: 40-0)
Hannan Sarkar b Drakes 13
Al Sahariar lbw b Powell 34
Habibul Bashar c Jacobs b Collins 0
Sanwar Hossain c Gayle b Lawson 24
Mohammad Ashraful c Sarwan b Lawson 15
Alok Kapali c Jacobs b Powell 85
Khaled Mashud lbw b Drakes 5
Enamul Haque not out 11
Tapash Baisya c Chanderpaul b Powell 0
Manjurul Islam b Collins 0
Talha Jubair b Collins 0
Extra (b8 lb5 nb9 w3) 25
Total (72 overs) 212

Fall: 1-44 2-45 3-76 4-100 5-126 6-137 7-210 8-210 9-210.

Bowling: Collins 23-8-58-3 (nb5 w2), Drakes 18-6-52-2 (nb4), Lawson 18-4-53-2 (w1), Powell 13-2-36-3.

WEST INDIES – Second Innings
C H Gayle b Tapash Baisya 37
W W Hinds lbw b Tapash Baisya 26
R R Sarwan c Enamul Haque b Manjurul Islam 13
S Chanderpaul not out 19
M N Samuels not out 15
Extras (lb1) 1
Total (for 3, 21.3 overs) 111

Fall: 1-52 2-77 3-81.

Did not bat: R D Jacobs, P T Collins, V C Drakes, D Ganga, J J C Lawson, D B Powell.

Bowling: Manjurul Islam 8-2-38-1, Tapash Baisya 9-0-45-2, Talha Jubair 3-0-20-0, Mohammad Ashraful 1-0-3-0, Alok Kapali 0.3-0-4-0.

Umpires: D L Orchard (SA) and D Shepherd (Eng).

West Indies win series 2-0.