Bangladesh v West Indies, 2nd Test, Khulna, 5th day

Bangladesh v West Indies, 2nd Test, Khulna, 5th day

Best six-for sets up 2-0 series win

The Report by Abhishek Purohit

November 25, 2012

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West Indies 648 for 9 dec (Samuels 260, Chanderpaul 150*, Bravo 127, Shakib 4-151) and 30 for 0 beat Bangladesh 387 (Abul 113, Mahmudullah 76, Edwards 6-90) and 287 (Shakib 97, Nasir 94, Best 6-40) by ten wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Tino Best was unstoppable again on the final morning © Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Tino Best Matches: Bangladesh v West Indies at Khulna Series/Tournaments: West Indies tour of Bangladesh Teams: Bangladesh | West Indies

Smart stats West Indies have won two Tests in successive series for the first time since 1992-93, when they beat Australia (2-1) and Pakistan (2-0). Bangladesh lost both Tests, but their overall batting average of 34.92 is their second-highest in a series, marginally behind 34.94 against Zimbabwe in 2005. Tino Best's 6 for 40 are his best figures in a Test innings, and his second five-for; his first had come in the previous Test, in Mirpur. He took 12 wickets in two Tests, which equals his best haul in a series. West Indies' seamers picked up 29 wickets at an average of 24, their best series average since the tour to Bangladesh in 2002-03, when they took 40 at 15.02. Nasir Hossain's 94 is his second score in the 90s in 11 Test innings: he had made 96, his highest score, in the previous Test. With Shakib-Al-Hasan making 97, this is the first instance of two Bangladesh batsmen making 90s in a Test innings. Overall, this has happened 52 times in Tests.

A hurt hamstring could not stop the effervescent Tino Best from bettering his previous best performance in Test cricket in successive games. Best took three of the last four Bangladesh wickets as West Indies sealed a 2-0 series win before lunch on the final morning.

Nasir Hossain made sure Bangladesh avoided an innings defeat, but failed again to get his maiden Test hundred, after having missed it by four runs in Mirpur.

Shakib Al Hasan's suicidal charge in the last over on day four had crippled Bangladesh's chances of somehow salvaging a draw, and West Indies needed just 14 overs today to wrap up the innings.

Any faint hopes Bangladesh might have had disappeared off the fourth ball of the day. Mahmudullah under-edged a sweep to the wicketkeeper down the leg side off Veerasammy Permaul, who ended his debut series with eight wickets at an average of 31.62 compared to Sunil Narine's three at 114.33.

Best came on, and like he had on day four, struck off his first ball, as Sohag Gazi pushed inside the line of a straight delivery to get bowled.

Nasir had meanwhile raced from his overnight 64 to 94 with a few boundaries, one of which was hooked through square leg off Fidel Edwards.

Again, he was in sight of a maiden Test hundred, and again, Best was running in to bowl. After taking eight runs off the first three deliveries of the over, Nasir tried to clip an inswinging delivery to the leg side, missed, and was bowled off his pad.

That was Best's fifth strike, and a few edged boundaries and a dropped catch later, Rubel Hossain swatted one to short mid-off to give the fast bowler his sixth. It was a staggering effort for someone who had sent down just ten overs in the first innings, had not batted, and had not even been expected to take the field in the second innings.

West Indies needed just 27, and Chris Gayle smashed five fours through the covers to complete the formalities inside five overs.