Bridgetown: Ramnaresh Sarwan ended unbeaten on 91 (90b, 5x4, 2x6), having helped the West Indies fight back against Bangladesh in Thursday's Super Eight match here at the Kensington Oval.

The West Indies - 17 for two from ten overs - finished with 230 for five. Sarwan shared in half-century partnerships with Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara.

It was evident early on Thursday that Bangladesh, brave and sure, had turned up, not Bangladesh, uncertain and clumsy.

Mashrafe Mortaza, the one admirable constant in both sides, did his much-appreciated routine: line and length, swing and cut, and this mixture at 83 to 87 mph.

Left-armer Syed Rasel's teasing routine - torture by tickling - added to Mortaza's. The opening bowlers put together 14 overs of control: a viscid period in which the West Indies eked out 25.

Mortaza removed Devon Smith with a fine bit of seam bowling. He brought several of his deliveries in to the left-hander - a shred though the air, but more appreciably off the seam - before producing one that held its angle from over the wicket. Smith closed bat face down the wrong line, and was bowled.

Chris Gayle departed to leave the West Indies at eight for two. He played outside the line of one that swung away from Rasel to be out leg-before. Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Everton Weekes were among those honoured before the start of the match, and the West Indies could have done with either in the middle.

Marlon Samuels played and missed, while Chanderpaul looked to score off his hip. Samuels chopped at one late to direct it behind point. He was, by now, clearing his front foot and playing a dangerous game with Abdur Razzak's fast left-arm spin.

Missed chance

Dropped at second slip off Rasel before he had scored, Samuels struck Razzak over mid-on with a typically windy, wristy swing, and seemed to gather momentum. But Saqibul Hasan, slower through the air than Razzak, had Samuels caught at the wicket. It was a lovely piece of left-arm spin bowling: flight, but more crucially dip, and break.

The deception was accentuated, for Saqibul's delivery stride is a curious sequence of jerks and twitches that suggests the ball will squirt out quick, not hang in the air.

Chanderpaul looked to further with Sarwan what he'd begun with his 47-run partnership with Samuels. Worryingly for Bangladesh, crevices were beginning to appear in the fielding. A chance to run Sarwan out was fluffed. A flat hard sweep off Saqibul followed.

But, the strokes that had the Rastas in the crowd shaking their dreadlocks were two eminently watchable lofted drives over cover.

With the first, off Rafique, Sarwan concentrated on getting the placement right. A quick two-step and the characteristic bat-swing - inside-out, slicing a touch - had sweeper-cover and long-off meeting in vain.

The second, off Saqibul, was to the shorter boundary and with the breeze. So, Sarwan chose less of a slice; placement wasn't as important as distance. Ball lodged itself in the first tier of the temporary stands.

The in-field grew sparse - one man on the leg-side to the left-arm spinner. Singles were like apples at an unguarded orchard. Bashar's problems have stemmed from an unwillingness to bring Mortaza back in the middle overs. Instead, he plumps for Aftab Ahmed's gentle medium when he departs from spin.

Careless swipe

But, Chanderpaul was bowled by an uncharacteristic, careless swipe across the line. His 85-ball 50 (3x4) was unglamorous and a trifle slow; however it helped add 81 for the fourth wicket.

The pace picked up. Brian Lara, in his penultimate ODI, played a delightful cameo, a highlights reel of some of his best strokes, including a six over point off Mortaza. Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo rustled up 34 in 3.5 overs after Lara left.

SCOREBOARD

West Indies: C. Gayle lbw b Rasel 1, D. Smith b Mortaza 5, S. Chanderpaul b Ahmed 50, M. Samuels c Rahim b Shakib 31, R. Sarwan (not out) 91, B. Lara c Omar b Razzak 33, D. Bravo (not out) 9; Extras (lb-3, w-7): 10. Total (for five wkts, 50 overs): 230.

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-8, 3-55, 4-136, 5-196.

Bangladesh bowling: Mortaza 10-2-39-1, Rasel 10-2-48-1, Razzak 10-0-44-1, Rafique 10-0- 46-0, Hasan 8-0-38-1, Ahmed 2-0-12

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