Naim stars as Bangladesh A level series

Bangladesh A batsman Mohammad Naim’s ton helped set up a 44-run victory in the second One-Day International in the three-match series against West Indies A at the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium in Saint Lucia on Friday.

Naim scored 103 runs off 116 deliveries as he hit 14 fours and one six, while Sabbir Rahman scored a steady fifty to set up a target of 277-6.

West Indies A won the toss and put Bangladesh into bat. Opener Soumya Sarkar’s poor form continued as he went back to the pavilion after scoring six off 10 balls, chopping one off the inside edge as the ball crashed onto the stumps.

But his fellow opener Naim went on as he stitched consecutive 50-plus partnerships (57 and 93) with Saif Hasan and skipper Mohammad Mithun before being dismissed by pacer Anderson Phillip.

Sabbir Rahman then took the baton as he scored a run-a-ball fifty before freeing his arms, hitting a couple of boundaries in the last over of the innings before miscuing a half-volley at mid-off. The right-hander managed to hit six fours and a solitary six in the 62-run knock off 58 balls.

A late flourish by Jaker Ali Anik (18 off 12 balls) helped Bangladesh post 277-6.

In reply, West Indies A got off a solid start as openers Joshua Da Silva and Tagenarine Chanderpaul put on a 94-run stand before the former was castled by fast bowler Rejaur Rahman Raja for 38. Raja managed to dismiss skipper Joshua as well for 68.

Other than Bryan Charles, no other Caribbean batsman could manage to get to 20, courtesy of the tight bowling by the Bangladesh A bowlers as they restricted the hosts to 233-9.

Pacer Mukidul Islam returned with figures of three for 32 runs, and fellow fast bowler Raja scalped two wickets

The decider will be played on August 20 at the same venue.