India Winning Start for Asian Cup -2014

After flounder in South Africa and New Zealand, India returned to their relieve zone the slow, low wickets of Asia. A match with the Asia Cup Series hosts was just the confidence-boosting workout India needed after being routed in South Africa and New Zealand. India Captain Kohli led the plan with a near-perfect 139 while adding a match-winning 213 runs for the 3rd wicket with Ajinkya Rahane (73), as India chase down 280 with an over to spare.

The score was set up by Mushfiqur Rahim’s excellent 117 and his 133-run stand with the wicket keeping opener Anamul Haque, who made a stroke-filled 77 taking the attack to India’s bowlers.

CAPTAIN’S Rocks

the pitch at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium was as slow, low. There was no turn, no seam movement, just a hint of swing that irregularly caused deliveries to move sharply, but enough to considerably trouble batsmen.

Mohammad Shami (4 for 50) produced edges off the bat that flew through vacancies in the slips. Bangladesh could easily have been 50-5 had India grabbed those chances. Yet, Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar ensured a miserly start (36-1 in 10 overs) that you no longer associate with Indian bowlers. It helped that the opponent posed a lesser challenge.

Despite these theatrics, Anamul Haque went after Ashwin and Aaron in a fast ride to 50 runs. Aaron had a terrible day. Welcomed to the crease with 2 boundaries, he continued to bleed runs through the day. Anamul swung him for 2 sixes over long-on. Mushfiqur then hit the shot of the day – an easy pick-up over midwicket for six in an over that went for 19.

Aaron followed that six with a beamer to the Bangladesh captain who took it completely on the ribs. It was Aaron’s second waist-high full-toss of the day and he had to be taken off. Just to round off a bad day, Aaron hurt himself going for the catch that dismissed Ziaur Rahman.

Anamul slowed down after his fifty while Mushfiqur started to speed up. Their 133-run stand was full of clean hits: down the ground, through the covers, over the leg-side arc. But it always gave the feeling it wasn’t going to be enough.

Bangladesh-279/7(50)

M Rahim (C, †)-117(113)

A Haque -77(106)

India-283/4(49)

V Kohli (C)-136(122)

A Rahane -73(83)

India Won the Match by Six Wickets

Men of the match-Virat Kohli (India)

Darren Sammy Helped. WI Won 4th match

Dhaka: Darren Sammy hit a fighting half-century and then grabbed three early wickets to help the West Indies beat Bangladesh by 75 runs in the fourth one-day international in Dhaka on Friday.

The 28-year-old scored an unbeaten 60 to take the tourists, after they were put into bat, to 211-9, and his impressive bowling was central to an attack that saw the home team out for 136 in 34.1 overs at Shere Bangla stadium.

The victory meant the five-match series is now level at 2-2, setting up a high-stakes final showdown on Saturday. Sammy rocked the home team by dismissing Anamul Haque (1) with the fourth delivery of the second over and then had Nadeem Islam (nought) caught out on the next ball to leave the home team reeling at 3-2.

Pace partner Kemar Roach (2-29) then struck further blows on the home team by bowling Tamim Iqbal (1) and Nasir Hossain (2) in the third over. Sammy then piled on the pain, taking the wicket of Mominul Haque (1) in the sixth over to leave the hosts at 13-5.

Mohammad Mahmudullah, who remained unbeaten on 56, added an invaluable 74 runs for the sixth wicket with captain Mushfiqur Rahim (27) but once the partnership was broken by Sunil Narine all was lost for the home team.

Mahmudullah hit seven boundaries in his fighting 78-ball stay at the crease. Veerasammy Permaul and Dwayne Smith also chipped in with 2 wickets apiece. Earlier, Bangladeshi spinners Mahmudullah (3-46), Elias Sunny (2-21) and Abdur Razzak (2-47) derailed the West Indian innings in the middle overs after the tourists were cruising along well at 71-1.

Dashing West Indian opener Chris Gayle once again failed dismissed for 16 after he looked set for a big score when he hit paceman Mashrafe Mortaza for a six and four in the sixth over.He fell in the same over, caught by Sohag Gazi.

Kieran Powell (26) and Marlon Samuels (27) took the score to 71 when the Bangladeshi spinners struck thrice in as many overs, with Sunny taking wickets of both the batsmen in his successive overs.

Off-spinner Mahmudullah then took over dismissing Kieron Pollard (2), Devon Thomas (10) and Permaul (1) to derail the West Indies. In between these three wickets, Sammy and Bravo added an invaluable 43 for the seventh wicket.

Bangladesh won the first 2 matches by 7 wickets and 160 runs respectively - both in Khulna while the West Indies clinched the third in Dhaka by 4 wickets.