Best six-for sets up 2-0 series win

Monday, 26 November 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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.