West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite has dedicated the 2-0 Test series win over Bangladesh to the people of the Caribbean.
The Windies completed the sweep with a 17-run win over the hosts in Dhaka yesterday.
Brathwaite, who was filling in for regular captain Jason Holder, said he wanted to share the victory with the people of the Caribbean who have been through a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This means everything back home,” Brathwaite said. “Cricket means everything to us. Our people will be proud of this win. Some persons wrote us off. But we kept it simple and we enjoyed it, and we proved them wrong.”
Rahkeem Cornwall led the way with another four wickets. The burly Antiguan off-spinner, who had claimed five wickets in Bangladesh’s first innings, took 4 for 105. The other six wickets were shared between fellow spinners Brathwaite and Jomel Warrican, as the home side was bowled out short of the target.
Brathwaite said the total team effort and the commitment shown by the players were the catalysts for the team’s win. He said the win is a fitting finale to what has been a tough tour for the regional side that came into the series as underdogs, having lost the One-Day International series 3-0.
“I would say it’s a team effort,” Brathwaite said. “We had a plan and we executed and enjoyed it, and we are happy to win the series. It is always nice to get a series win in Asia for the first time since 2012. Coming here without some players and with the protocols and so on, the victory is even sweeter.”
Cornwall, who was named Man of the Match, also claimed three catches to go along with his wickets. The Antiguan said he was pleased with his outing as well as the commitment and determination shown by his teammates.
“It was a good performance,” Cornwall said. “The whole team had good energy from day one, and the coaching staff backed us. Once the conditions gave a bit of spin, I enjoyed it. I always backed myself and tried to put the ball in the right areas. You just have to be patient and be consistent and build pressure. I’ve been doing a lot of work in the morning in slip fielding. When the ball comes to me, I wanted to catch it.”
Jamaican batsman Nkrumah Bonner was named Man of the Series.
WEST INDIES 1st Innings 409
BANGLADESH 1st innings 296
WEST INDIES 2nd Innings
(overnight 41 for three)
*K Brathwaite c wkp
Liton Das b Nayeem Hasan 6
J Campbell b Taijul Islam 18
S Moseley c Mohammad
Mithun b Mehidy Hasan Miraz 7
N Bonner b Nayeem Hasan 38
J Warrican lbw b Abu Jayed 2
K Mayers lbw b Abu Jayed 6
J Blackwood st Liton Das b
Taijul Islam 9
+J Da Silva c Soumya Sarkar b
Taijul Islam 20
A Joseph c Najmul Hossain
Shanto b Taijul Islam 9
R Cornwall c Mushfiqur Rahim b
Nayeem Hasan 1
S Gabriel not out 1
TOTAL (all out, 52.5 overs) 117
Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Brathwaite), 2-20 (Moseley), 3-39 (Campbell), 4-50 (Warrican), 5-62 (Mayers), 6-73 (Blackwood), 7-104 (Da Silva), 8-114 (Joseph), 9-116 (Bonner), 10-117 (Cornwall)
Bowling: Taijul Islam 21-4-36-4, Nayeem Islam 15.5-5-34-3, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 6-1-15-1, Abu Jayed 10-4-32-2.
BANGLADESH 2nd innings (target: 231)
Tamim Iqbal c Moseley b Brathwaite 50
Soumya Sarkar c Cornwall b
Brathwaite 13
Najmul Hossain c Moseley b Cornwall 11
*Mominul Haque c Cornwall b Warrican 26
Mushfiqur Rahim c wkp Da Silva b Warrican 14
Mohammad Mithun c Bonner b Cornwall 10
+Liton Das c wkp Da Silva b Cornwall 22
Mehidy Hasan Miraz c Cornwall b Warrican 31
Taijul Islam lbw b Cornwall 8
Nayeem Hasan lbw b Brathwaite 14
Abu Jayed not out 0
Extras: (b8, lb4, nb2) 14
TOTAL: (all out, 61.3 overs) 213
Fall of wickets: 1-59 (Soumya), 2-70 (Tamim), 3-78 (Najmul Hossain), 4-101 (Mushfiqur), 5-115 (Mohammad Mithun), 6-147 (Mominul), 7-153 (Liton), 8-163 (Taijul), 9-188 (Nayeem), 10-213 (Mehidy).
Bowling: Cornwall 30-5-105-4, Joseph 2-0-16-0, Gabriel 2-0-8-0, Warrican 16.3-4-47-3 (w2), Brathwaite 11-1-25-3.
Result: West Indies won by 17 runs.
Series: West Indies won two-match series 2-0.
Man-of-the-Match: Rahkeem Cornwall.
Man-of-the-Series: Nkrumah Bonner.
Toss: West Indies.
Umpires: Richard Illingworth, Sharfuddoula; TV – Gazi Sohel.