By Tony Becca, Senior Sport EditorBENONI:
THE WEST Indies suffered a set back in their bid for a place in the Super Six second round of the World Cup when their match against minnows Bangladesh at Willowmoore Park was ruined by rain yesterday and ended in a no-result.
Overwhelming favourites to win the match, pick up four points, move to eight from three matches and thus remain strong contenders to finish in the top three in Group B, the West Indies had to settle for two points when rain brought an end to the proceedings with Bangladesh on 32 for two after 8.1 overs replying to the West Indies' 244 for nine off the allotted 50 overs.
According to the rules, the team batting second must face a minimum 25 overs for there to be a result.
After defeating South Africa and losing to New Zealand, the West Indies are now on six points from three matches with Sri Lanka on eight points from victories over New Zealand and Bangladesh.
New Zealand have eight from three matches after defeating both the West Indies and South Africa, and South Africa are on four from three after losing to the West Indies, defeating Kenya and losing to New Zealand.
Although yesterday's result put some pressure on the West Indies, they are still in the hunt. In fact, such is the contest for the top three places in the group that while they are in danger, they could also come out top.
The good thing for the West Indies is that barring rain again, and unlike South Africa who are praying for help, their fate is in their own hands.
Victory in their three remaining matches would take the West Indies to 18 points, and without even thinking about Sri Lanka and New Zealand, even if South Africa do likewise and win their remaining three matches they will fall two points short of the West Indies.
With five victories and one no-result in their previous six encounters against Bangladesh, the West Indies' only fear going into yesterday's match was rain, and after early morning rain and the threat of more rain, captain Carl Hooper's hope was to win the toss, send Bangladesh to bat, and win the match as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, for the West Indies, Bangladesh won the toss and sent the West Indies to bat.
In conditions so overcast, so misty and so dark that the match that got under way on time at 10:00 a.m. was played under floodlights, the medium-fast bowlers of Bangladesh proceeded to swing the ball both ways and to corner the West Indies batsmen who struggled to such an extent that someone unfamiliar with the game would not have realised that it was a match between one of the favourites and one of the minnows.
In fact, only Hooper, who scored 45 off 58 deliveries before stroking a leg break back to Alok Kapali 217 for six in the 47th over, and Ricardo Powell, who smashed 50 off 31 deliveries before he was caught on the backward square-leg boundary off Manjural Islam at 231 for seven, were able to dominate.
After sitting in the pavilion and probably wondering what magic Bangladesh were performing to stifle his colleagues, Powell went to bat at 158 for five in the 40th over and blasted three fours and four sixes to lead a charge that saw the West Indies stamping their class for a while and scoring 86 runs off the last 10 overs with 73 coming off the final 10.
The West Indies were no better in the field where, in contrast to the brilliance of Bangladesh, they were found wanting and dropped three catches - one by Chris Gayle at second slip and two by Hooper at first slip.
With the rain obviously on the way, the Bangladesh batsmen looking out of their depths, and the West Indies praying that the rain would stay away, Gayle dropped Ehsanul Haque off Vasbert Drakes' first delivery, Hooper dropped Al-Shariar and Haque off Mervyn Dillon, and with the West Indies not helping themselves, the Gods frowned on them.
Unlike their accurate bowling and brilliant fielding, Bangladesh looked far from competent with the bat and were probably fortunate that the rain came shortly after the fall of Al-Shariar - caught by Gayle for five at 19 for one in the sixth over, and Haque - bowled by Dillon for six at 19 for two in the seventh over.
