Ban vs WI, 3rd ODI: Samuels ton leads WI to first win

West Indies beat Bangladesh by 4 wickets

Bangladesh spinners scalped three wickets at regular intervals, but Marlon Samuels is still in charge of West Indies chase.
Kieran Powell and Marlon Samuels put up a 111-run partnership, before Powell was stumped while going for a big hit.The visitors got off to a poor start as they lost opener Chris Gayle (4) early in their chase of 228 in the third one-dayer.
Mahmudullah (52) and Sohag Gazi's (30) late surge helped Bangladesh reach a respectable total. Bangladesh failed to play out the full overs and were all out in 49.1. For West Indies, Sunil Narine returned with impressive figures of 4 for 37 while V Permaul and Darren Sammy claimed two wickets each.
At one point Bangladesh were going strong, but Narine's three wickets and one each from Gayle and Permaul helped West Indies pull things back after a 57-run opening stand.
Earlier, Sammy won the toss and opted to field but his decision seemed to have backfired when Tamim and Anamul Haque put on a half-century stand. But Sunil Narine struck three blows in the space of just 10 runs to bring some relief for the visitors.
Tamim (22) was out caught by the wicketkeeper while attempting a cut while Islam (2) played early and lobbed a simple catch in the covers and Haque (33) was trapped in front by Narine to make it 67 for 3 from 57 for no loss.
Watching pitch assisting Narine, Sammy brought on left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul who struck quickly to send back Nasir Hossain (6) out caught by Kieron Pollard.
Captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque then tried to steady the ship but could only the score as far as 110 when Gayle joined his fellow spinners in the wicket-takers' list. He dismissed Haque for 12.
Bangladesh lead the five-match series 2-0, winning the first two matches with huge margins.

OTTIS GIBSON CALLS FOR AN IMPROVED BATTING SHOW IN THE THIRD ODI

With West Indies on the verge of their first ODI series defeat against Bangladesh at their home, head coach Ottis Gibson has urged his batsmen to produce an improved performance in the third One Day International against the Bengali Tigers, at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka today, December 5, 2012.

"We have to make more runs than them, so it means that our batsmen have to be a little bit more determined than they have been to stay there, be a little bit more conscientious about the way they build their innings and executing their roles for the team," said Gibson at the customary match-eve press meet on Tuesday.

Darren Sammy led Caribbean contingent trails 0-2 in the five-match ODI series, after the hosts won the opening two matches in Khulna by seven wickets and 160 runs respectively. In both the games, the rampaging Windies were outclassed by a relatively inexperienced Bangladesh line-up, featuring four debutants, including Barisal off-spinner Sohag Gazi – 7 wickets from two matches – and second ODI centurion Anamul Haque.

Blaming his side’s poor batting for the debacle, Gibson said that the hosts, Bangladesh, had things too easy in the first two one-dayers. The West Indies coach also hoped that his team could make improvements in all three departments of the game.

"We have gifted our wickets," said the visiting coach. "But if we pay a little bit more attention and are a little bit more streetwise, especially against their spinners, and put a significant total on the board, I back our bowlers to defend it," he went on to add.

Meanwhile, the West Indies' training session scheduled for Tuesday, at the National Cricket Academy Ground in Mirpur was cancelled following the threat of a general strike in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka.

All of the three remaining ODIs of the series will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, on December 5, 7 and 8 respectively. Gibson said that Shere Bangla had always been a good venue for them and hoped for his side to make a strong comeback into the series and turn the tables on the hosts.

MUSHFIQUR RAHIM HITS BACK AT OTTIS GIBSON

Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim on Tuesday hit back at the West Indies head coach Ottis Gibson for his comments that the hosts have “had it easy” in the first two ODIs because the Windies batsmen gave away wickets cheaply, saying his bowlers had forced the tourists to gift the wickets.

"We have forced them to gift the wickets," Mushfiqur said at the pre-match media interaction in Mirpur on the eve of the third ODI against the West Indies. "Our bowling partnership was very good so they didn't have any options apart from giving us the wickets. As simple as that," added the wicketkeeper batsman.

Bangladesh comprehensively beat the Caribbean contingent in the first two ODIs, by seven wickets and 160 runs respectively, to take a 2-nil lead in the five-match series, and are on the verge of their first ever ODI series win against the Windies at home.

Blaming his side’s top order failure for Bangladesh’s cakewalk in the opening two fixtures, Gibson said that the Tigers had things too easy for them, courtesy West Indies’ below par batting performance, failing to reach 200 in both innings.

If the Bengali Tigers can convert this opportunity into a series win, this will be their first ever series triumph against the Men from Caribbean at home. In the past, the two sides have clashed thrice in an ODI series on Bangladesh soil, the tourists returning victorious every time.

The series win will also allow the lowly ranked Bengalis to improve their standing on the world stage. Mushfiqur, who was given the reins of the Bengali Tigers in September last year, was happy with his side’s consistency in the one-day format of the game over the past year and a half.

"We have been playing good, consistent cricket in ODIs for the past year and a half, especially at home," said the wicketkeeper batsman, who has so far played 30 Tests and 110 One Day Internationals.

"It is definitely a huge opportunity in front of us to win the series. Everyone is aware of this so I hope we continue doing what we have done in the last two games and perform in all three areas," he added further.

The third ODI between Bangladesh and West Indies is being played in Dhaka today, December 5, 2012.

CLARKE TO MISS START OF BIG BASH LEAGUE WITH SORE BACK

Australian skipper Michael Clarke has been ruled out of the opening round of the just to begin season two of the Big Bash League, due to a sore back.

The veteran middle order batsman has long been troubled by lower back spasms and he re-aggravated the issue during the third and final Test match against South Africa in Perth, which ended in a 309-run crushing. Cricket Australia, on Wednesday ordered the ODI and Test skipper to miss the opening round of the domestic Twenty20 tournament so that he could recover in-time for the first Test against Sri Lanka next week.

"Our medical staff have advised Michael not to play cricket this weekend," Cricket Australia team performance manager Pat Howard said in a statement on Wednesday.

Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed that senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf will not be considered for selection ahead of the limited-overs tour of India.

Pakistan cricket team is scheduled to tour India for two T20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals, between December 26 and January 7. The team for the limited-overs affair will be picked sometime next week, but the PCB chief selector Iqbal Qasim has made it clear that Yousuf is not a contender for the India-Pakistan series.

"Yousuf is not under consideration for the tour to India," Qasim shared when asked during a media interaction about the team selection for the forthcoming ODI and T20 series against the archrivals, India. "As far as Yousuf is concerned we are not sure about his form and fitness right now and he will not be considered for the Indian tour," the former Test spinner added further.

Yousuf has not been picked for a national assignment since November 2010 due to many reasons, primarily form and fitness.

Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim has conceded that the presence of veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan would have made a difference in the ODI series against West Indies, however he said that the left-hander’s absence has opened up opportunities for young players, which bodes well for future.

"It would have been a lot better performance with Shakib,” said the Bangladesh skipper. “Due to his absence, the younger players have a chance to play in this series. It is a big opportunity for them... We have guys now who perform so we have more than just Tamim and Shakib to rely upon,” he added further.

Shakib Al Hasan has been ruled out of the five-ODI series and the following one-off T20 International against the Windies due to a shin injury, which he had sustained during the 0-2 Test series defeat at the hands of the same opposition.

CHANDERPAUL REGAIN’S TEST NO. 1 SPOT

Veteran West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul is the top Test batsman in the world, according to the latest ICC Ranking’s for Test batsmen, released on Tuesday, December 4.

Australian skipper Michael Clarke, who regained the top spot last week, after smashing back-to-back double tons against South Africa in the first two Tests, slipped one place on the rankings chart, after scoring 5 and 44 in Perth, allowing the reliable Chanderpaul to become the top-ranked batsman with 879 rating points.

Chanderpaul’s return to the top follows his dazzling double century against Bangladesh in the first Test at Dhaka.

The Australian trails the Windies batting prodigy by a single rating point, and will have the opportunity to regain the coveted spot when he leads the Aussies in the first Test of the three-match series against Sri Lanka at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart, from December 14 to 18.

South Africa’s top order batsman Hashim Amla, who was declared man of the match in the Perth Test, for his stupendous knock of 196 runs, moved up two places to third position with 875 rating points.

India’s new Mr Consistent, Cheteshwar Pujara, dropped a place on the chart and is currently ranked 21st among the Test batsmen in the world, with 665 points.

Among the bowlers, South Africa’s ace pacer Dale Steyn continues to lead the table with 880 points. Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath and Steyn’s fellow pacer Vernon Philander share the second spot with 838 points apiece, followed by Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal, who has 832 points.

Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha dropped a place and finds himself at No. 5 with 767 points. Ojha’s teammate, fast bowler Zaheer Khan, was ranked 14th in the ICC Test bowlers' list with 652 points.

Gangling South African pace bowler Morne Morkel also moved up a spot to seventh. Australia’s Mitchell Starc has moved 21 spots up to 53rd. Aussie pacer Mitchell Johnson also moved up three places to return to the top-20.

Jacques Kallis of South Africa continues to lead the all-rounder’s Test rankings, followed by Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan in second and veteran Australian all-rounder Shane Watson in third place.

GANGULY URGES THE MEDIA TO STOP CRITICISING TENDULKAR

India’s former captain, Sourav Ganguly, has come out in support of Sachin Tendulkar, asking the media to stop criticising him and expressed his desire to see the great batsman score huge runs in the third Test of the four match series against England at Kolkata, which started today.

The 39-year-old cricketer is considered to be one of the finest batsmen in the history of the game, having crossed 34 thousand runs in international cricket during the on-going match at the Eden Gardens. On top of that, the batting-maestro has 100 centuries at the highest stage of the sport.

However, the cricketer from Mumbai has not been in good form since the last 18 months, failing to score a single Test century. After a poor series against New Zealand, managing just 63 runs in the three innings, the legendary batsman is yet to make an impression against the Poms as well.

Some of the analysts have slammed the little-master’s performances, asking for his retirement from the global arena. They quote the example of the former Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting, who has recently called it a day from international cricket.

Ganguly however, feels that Tendulkar has been a great servant of Indian cricket and the critics must also take into account the great batsman’s past performances.

“The retirement of Ricky Ponting does not mean that Tendulkar should also quit. We all hope he goes with his with his head held high. People always look at his negative sides. Nobody talks about his centuries and the wins he has given us,” said the former Indian captain.

The former left-handed batsman admits that Sachin has been in poor form of late but Ganguly is confident that the middle-order batsman can still turn the tables if he gets off to a good start.

Tendulkar’s former teammate added, “It will be important for him to cross the 30-mark. If he gets past the mark, I'm sure he will go on to make it big at the Eden Gardens. Yes, he is 39 plus and is going through a slump in form but we all hope he gets back to runs soon.