Mushfiqur Rahim led Bangladesh from the front with 41 not out as the home side ended their 12-match losing streak in Twenty20 internationals with a three-wicket win over the West Indies on Tuesday.
Rahim, playing his first game as captain since replacing Shakib Al Hasan, hit a six off paceman Ravi Rampaul off the penultimate delivery of the last over, taking Bangladesh to 135-7 after they had restricted West Indies to 132-8.
The hosts had been set for a cliffhanger finish with 20 runs needed in the final two overs on a sluggish Mirpur wicket, but Rahim and Nasir Hossain took 14 runs in the penultimate over to bring the equation down to six runs in six balls.
Rampaul conceded only two runs in his first four balls before Rahim's huge six over mid-wicket made the home crowd scream with joy.
The defeat was hard for Marlon Samuels, who scored 58 off 42 balls with two fours and four sixes to give West Indies some respectability before celebrating his return to international cricket as a bowler with 2-14.
Scorecard
West Indies:
L. Simmons lbw b Razzak 23
A. Barath c Tamim b Shakib 15
M. Samuels c Rahim b Shafiul 58
A. Russell c Naeem b Shakib 5
D. Bravo lbw b Razzak 7
D. Hyatt lbw b Rubel 2
D. Sammy c Nasir b Naeem 1
D. Ramdin not out 10
C. Brathwaite c Nasir b Shafiul 1
R. Rampaul not out 0
Extras: (lb-6, w-4) 10
Total: (for 8 wickets in 20 overs) 132
Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-61, 3-89, 4-105, 5-110, 6-111, 7-129, 8-131.
Bowling: Razzak 4-0-27-2, Shafiul 4-0-19-2, Rubel 4-0-32-1, Shakib 4-0-25-2, Naeem 4-0-23-1.
Bangladesh:
Tamim Iqbal b Ramdin b Rampaul 11
Imrul Kayes c Hyatt b Martin 22
Mohammad Ashraful c Martin b Samuels 24
Shakib Al Hasan b Samuels 0
Alok Kapali c Martin b Brathwaite 2
Mushfiqur Rahim not out 41
Naeem Islam b Sammy 10
Nasir Hossain c Ramdin b Rampaul 18
Abdur Razzak not out 1
Extras: (lb-1, nb-1, w-4) 6
Total: (for 7 wickets in 19.5 overs) 135
Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-49, 3-49, 4-52, 5-71, 6-93, 7-128.
Bowling: Rampaul 3.5-0-28-2, Sammy 4-0-30-1, Russell 2-0-17-0, Martin 3-0-20-1, Samuels 4-0-14-2, Brathwaite 3-0-25-1.
