SHIMRON Hetmyer’s composed hundred laid the platform for West Indies’ three-run win over Bangladesh in the second one-day international last evening at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

Victory saw the hosts level the three-match series 1-1, ahead of Saturday’s finale at Basseterre, St Kitts.

With eight runs required off the last over, Jason Holder removed top scorer Mushfiqur Rahim off the first ball, and conceded only four runs thereafter, as the hosts held their nerves superbly in a nail-biting finish.

Earlier, Hetmyer gave a reminder of his immense talent, hitting an imperious 93-ball 125, and was the cornerstone of the hosts’ total of 271.

The hundred, his second in ODI cricket, was a combination of clever use of the feet, admirable timing and strokes all around the ground.

At 21, the Berbician engineered a 103-run fifth-wicket stand with Rovman Powell, who contributed a 67-ball 44, which proved crucial, as the Windies blasted 89 off the last 10 overs.

Hetmyer, who brought up his hundred in the 48th over, hit seven sixes and three fours en route to the highest individual ODI score by a Windies batsman at the venue.

He combined with the lower-order after Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shai Hope and Jason Mohammed failed to give Windies a good start.

Fielding an unchanged team, Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl; a decision which may have been influenced by the weather. West Indies, on the other hand, were forced to make one change, with Keemo Paul replacing the injured Andre Russell.

The tourists then capitalised on the toss by removing both openers, Gayle and Lewis inside the first 15 overs.

Lewis (12) cleared the boundary once, pulling Mortaza over square leg, before he was given out leg before wicket by Englishman Richard Illingworth, but he immediately asked for a review of the decision.

However, third umpire Sundaram Ravi of India, after several minutes’ study, decided Illingworth’s verdict should stand.

Gayle, the tall Jamaican, decided to weigh his options. He took calculated risks, hitting three fours and a six, and in the process tried to pace his innings to perfection in order to aid his side, but it wasn’t a typical Gayle innings. The left-hander made 29 off 38 balls when he fell to an ill-advised sweep to off-spinner Mehidy Miraz.

Hope (25) and Mohammed (12) both failed to impress much. Hope checked his drive too early and was taken at extra cover off Shakib Al Hasan, while a circumspect Mohammed was cramped for room and space, to be taken behind the wicket in Rubel Hossain’s first over, as Bangladesh continued to chip away  at 102-4.

At that stage, Hetmyer, the former Windies youth captain looked in good touch, and together with Powell, gave the innings the much-needed boost.

The two paced their innings well as they looked to build a partnership. They slowly accelerated the run-rate between the 30th and 40th over, striking five boundaries, including Hetmyer’s first six, pulled over midwicket.

The left-hander then struck three more sixes, but was put down on 79 by Shakib Al Hasan in the 43rd over, which saw the ball popped over the fielder’s right shoulder for a six.

After Powell’s dismissal, the Windies lost their last five wickets for 47 runs, but not before Hetmyer smashed 22 in the 48th over from Rubel Hossain.

Bangladesh bowled well in patches, with Hossain finishing with figures of 3 for 61. Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman took two wickets each while there was one each for Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mortaza, who started very well with the ball once again.

The tourists’ openers Anamul Haque and Tamim Iqbal took the attack to the Windies pacers by flaying three fours and two sixes in the first two overs.

Haque struck two fours and a six in his 9-ball 23 before he was bowled by Alzarri Joseph, at 32-1.

Tamim Iqbal had stepped it up after Anamul’s wicket, along with Shakib Al Hasan in rotating the strike well, to register Bangladesh fastest fifty in ODI cricket off just 28 balls.

The pair set about the task of seriously challenging the target, and their cause was assisted considerably by some poor bowling from the Windies.

At the end of the 15th over, the run rate had dipped but it was still above six. The required rate on the other hand, was well under control, and Bangladesh’s seasoned campaigners –Shakib and Tamim — utilised the momentum from Anamul’s cameo.

They pair shared 97 runs for the second-wicket and in the process, Tamim registered his fifty, but the momentum of the game continued to shift from one side to the other.

For a moment, the pair was looking extremely ominous, but the introduction of Devendra Bishoo in the 25th over provided Windies with the crucial breakthrough which changed the course of the run chase significantly.

The wily leg-spinner had Tamim stumped for 54, but Bangladesh then had two lbw decisions overturned – one by Shakib Al Hasan and the other by Mahmudullah. However, the Windies two spinners – Bishoo and Ashley Nurse–got tremendous assistance from the pitch, resulting in Nurse claiming the wicket of Shakib for 56, to finish his spell with figures of 1-34 off his ten overs, while Bishoo had 1-39 off his ten.

Rahim(68), then shared in two important partnerships – an 87-run fourth-wicket stand with Mahmudullah (39), and then 32 for the fifth-wicket with Sabbir Rahman, but the tourists came up short at the end.

WEST INDIES innings
C Gayle lbw b Mehidy Hasan Miraz 29
E Lewis lbw b Mashrafe Mortaza 12
S Hope †c Sabbir Rahman b Shakib Al Hasan 25
S Hetmyer run out (Mehidy Hasan Miraz/†Mushfiqur Rahim) 125
J Mohammed c †Mushfiqur Rahim b Rubel Hossain 12
R Powell b Rubel Hossain 44
J Holder (c) st †Mushfiqur Rahim b Shakib Al Hasan 7
A Nurse c Tamim Iqbal b Mustafizur Rahim 3
K Paul c †Mushfiqur Rahim b Rubel Hossain 4
D Bishoo b Mustafizur Rahman 0
A Joseph not out 1
Extras: (lb 6, nb 1, w 2) 9
Total: (all out; 49.3 overs) 271
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-55, 3-77, 4-102, 5-205, 6-224, 7-236, 8-241, 9-242, 10-271
Bowling: Mashrafe Mortaza 9-0-44-1, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 10-3-40-1, Mustafizur Rahim 8.3-0-44-2 Mosaddek Hossain 4-0-31-0, Shakib Al Hasan 9-1-45-2, Rubel Hossain 9-0-61-3

BANGLADESH nnings
Tamim Iqbal st †Hope b Bishoo 54
Anamul Haque b Joseph 23
Shakib Al Hasan c Paul b Nurse 56
Mustafizur Rahim c Paul b Holder 68
Mahmudullah run out (Nurse/Holder) 39
Sabbir Rahman c Hetmyer b Paul 12
Mosaddek Hossain not out 3
Mashrate Mortaza not out 1
Extras: (b1, lb4, w7) 12
Total: (six wickets; 50 overs) 268
Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-129, 3-145, 4-232
Bowling: Joseph 6-0-55-1, Holder 10-0-66-1, Nurse 10-0-34-1, Paul 7-0-43-1, Gayle 7-0-26-0, Bishoo 10-0-39-1.