CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, CMC:
THE WEST Indies completed their first Test series whitewash on tour in 18 years when they beat little-rated Bangladesh by seven wickets on the third day of the second and final Test match at the MA Aziz Stadium yesterday.
Set 111 runs to win in the day's last session, the West Indies stuttered to 111 for three, for a 2-0 series triumph their first series sweep away from home since they whipped England 5-0 in 1984.
The West Indies pace quartet, led by three-wicket hauls from Pedro Collins and Darren Powell, had set up back-to-back three-day wins in the series when Bangladesh tumbled to 212 all out shortly after tea.
And after three glitches, Marlon Samuels thumped an Alok Kapali full toss to the mid-wicket fence for the finish with 13.3 overs remaining in the day's play.
Chris Gayle belted a typically shot-filled 37 off 31 balls with nine boundaries in a brisk 52-run opening stand with Wavell Hinds (26).
Pacer Tapash Baisya (2-45) bowled Gayle off an inside edge and trapped Hinds leg before wicket, and Manjural Islam removed Ramnaresh Sarwan (13) as the West Indies dipped to 81 for three, before Samuels (15) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (19) brought up the victory in an unfinished 30-run stand.
Earlier, the West Indies pacers snared five wickets for 90 runs before lunch to shake Bangladesh's solid foundation.
From a promising overnight score of 40 without loss, Bangladesh, who trailed by 102 runs on first innings, quickly tripped to 45 for two when veteran Vasbert Drakes bowled Hannan Sarkar (13) and left-arm pacer Pedro Collins had Habibul Bashar (0) caught behind in the following over with a sharp delivery that choked the number three batsman.
Powell reduced the home side to 76 for three when he trapped Al Sahariar leg before wicket for 34, and Lawson struck twice before lunch to tighten the West Indies' grip on the game.
Lawson removed Sanwar Hossain (24) at 100 for four and collected his second wicket just before lunch when Mohammad Ashraful flashed a wide delivery to point for Sarwan to take a smart catch.
The 18-year-old Kapali, named man-of-the-match, held up the touring team with a fighting half century after Bangladesh had staggered to lunch at 130 for five.
He dominated a 73-run seventh-wicket stand with Enamul Haque when Drakes trapped captain Khaled Mashud (5) LBW at the start of the post-lunch session.
Kapali admirably fended off the West Indies pace attack in a positive 111-ball knock, laced with 12 fours and two sixes off Collins and Drakes.
He fell last ball before tea, taken at 210 for seven, when he attempted to pull a short delivery from Powell and edged a simple catch to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.
The Bangladesh innings ended within four overs of the last session when Powell and Collins combined for a three-wicket blitz.
Powell, completing his 12th over - aborted for tea with Kapali's dismissal - removed Tapash Baisya with his second ball after the break, the right-hander top-edging a high catch to Chanderpaul at mid-wicket as he attempted to pull.
Collins then bowled Islam (0) and had Talha Jubair (0) caught behind in successive overs to wrap up an innings that contained four "ducks".
Only two runs were added for the loss of the last three wickets after tea.
Powell ended with three for 36 off 13 overs, and Collins three for 58 off 23, supported by Drakes (2-52) and Lawson (2-53).
The 20-year-old Lawson, playing here in only his fourth Test match, was named man-of-the-series, on the strength of his extraordinary first Test
figures of six wickets for three runs off 6.5 overs that ripped out Bangladesh for a second innings 87 and propelled the West Indies to an innings and 310-run win in Dhaka last week.
