Rutherford slams ton, helps end West Indies' losing streak against Bangladesh

Sherfane Rutherford smashed an 80-ball 113 as West Indies snapped their 11-game losing run against Bangladesh in ODIs to take an early lead in the three-match series. Rutherford's maiden ODI century, and his fifth consecutive score of 50 or more, was ably complemented by captain Shai Hope's 86 as the hosts overcame a sedate start to comfortably chase down 294 - the highest successful chase at the Warner Park in St Kitts.

West Indies appeared to have dug themselves into something of a hole in the chase as they crawled to 130 for 3 after 30 overs, leaving themselves needing 164 off 120. Rutherford. While Hope had typically dropped anchor to keep the innings together with a steady half-century, Rutherford started slow and was on 19 off 29 at one point with the asking rate climbing.

Bangladesh had carried forward the momentum from their strong finish to the first innings with the ball as Tanzim Hasan Sakib trapped Brandon King LBW. Evin Lewis too was pinged on the pads by a pacy delivery from Nahid Rana. Hope was dragged out at 27 for 2 in the ninth over with the chase needing to be re-railed. Hope shared a 67-run partnership with Keacy Carty in 13.3 overs for the third wicket. But the in-form Carty hit a short ball from Rishad Hossain straight to short mid-wicket to compound West Indies' woes just when they seemed to have been suspended.

The asking rate touched the eight-runs-per-over mark even as the West Indies captain helped himself to his 26th ODI fifty. But the go-slow approach couldn't have been extended any further than the 28 balls it took through those middle overs between two boundaries. The floodgates opened once Hope launched Mehidy Hasan Miraz for a six. Rutherford broke loose in the 32nd over as he launched Miraz over the bowler's head for a four and a six. Another boundary came in the Taskin Ahmed over that followed and another six and a four off Nahid Rana took Rutherford to a 48-ball half-century.

The chase revitalised by this deluge of boundaries didn't slow down thereafter, even when West Indies lost Hope for an 88-ball 86. New batter Justin Greaves hit his first ball for a boundary to keep the momentum going even as Rutherford went up the gears at the other end. He needed just 29 balls for his second fifty, this gallop featuring a brace of sixes against Taskin. The maiden century was achieved in the 47th over following an overthrow that cost Bangladesh six runs. Rutherford marked the moment by hitting Soumya Sarkar for two more sixes - for a total of eight - before eventually being dismissed off the following delivery. West Indies though needed only six runs to get in 3.2 overs, which they achieved with 14 balls to spare with Greaves unbeaten on 41.

Bangladesh will have hoped to have made it more difficult given where they were placed at the three-quarter mark of this game. Having opted to bat, they were able to pile on a substantial total, one that was achieved thanks to a strong start from Tanzid Hasan (60 off 60). Soumya Sarkar joined Tanzid to give a strong opening as he hit three boundaries before falling to Romario Shepherd for 19. After Litton Das departed cheaply, Tanzid added 79 for the third wicket with Miraz (74 off 101), who took over to be the anchor around whom the visitors' innings was built.

Miraz was dismissed in the 38th over but Bangladesh had the experience and enterprise of Mahmudullah and Jaker Ali to maximise the death overs. The pair added 96 runs in just 12.3 overs, smashing as many as six sixes between them. Mahmudullah finished unbeaten on a 44-ball 50 while Jaker fell two short of his own half-century off the penultimate ball of the innings. Their efforts, however, was eventually rendered insufficient.

Brief scores:Bangladesh 294/6 in 50 overs (Mehidy Hasan Miraz 74, Tanzid Hasan 60; Romario Shepherd 3-51) lost to West Indies 295/5 in 47.4 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 113, Shai Hope 86; Rishad Hossain 1-49) by five wickets