Windies off to winning start in ODI series

West Indies defeated Bangladesh by three wickets in the first of three one-day international cricket matches at St. George's, Grenada on Wednesday.

Bangladesh, batting first, was restricted to 217/9 from the allotted 50 overs. The West Indies, after an early collapse to be 34/5, recovered through a century stand between Trinidadians, Kieron Pollard and Denesh Ramdin and completed victory in the 40th over - 219/7.

The highlight of the Bangledesh innings was a century (109) from Anamul Haque, while West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo led the bowling for his side with 4/32 from seven overs.

The West Indian response started disastrously, with leading batsman Chris Gayle falling for three, with only nine runs on the board. It was to quickly get worse, with four more wickets falling in the first 14 overs, leaving the home team facing the prospect of an embarrassing defeat.

One additional wicket for the Bangladeshis at that point would probably have sealed the Windies fate, but as so often happens in such circumstances, there was a partnership to come, and it came courtesy of Pollard and Ramdin.

The pair took the score all the way to 179 in an invaluable alliance worth 145 runs before Ramdin went, bowled Sohag Gazi, for 74. Pollard was then joined by Jason Holder and they took the score past the 200 mark; and just when Pollard looked set for his fourth ODI hundred, he gave it away, c Mahmudullah b Al-Amin Hossain for 89.

There was to be no more hiccup thereafter, however, as Holder, in partnership with Sunil Narine, calmly took the home team to victory, at 219/7.

Pollard was adjudged Man-of-the-Match.