Daren Ganga, flown in to replace the injured Shivnarine Chanderpaul, joined Sarwan at the crease, and with spin at both ends, the runs dried up. Stroke after stroke found only the fielders inside the circle, and Ganga in particular struggled against leg-spinner Mohammad Ashraful. Giving the ball more air than most spinners in one-day cricket, Ashraful repeatedly had Ganga heaving at the ball only to scythe through air.

Oddly enough, then, it was Sarwan who fell to the leggie. To a flighted delivery outside the off, Sarwan essayed an uppish drive that was caught well low-down by Alok Kapali at short extra cover. Sarwan made 39 (66b, 1x4), and the West Indies were in trouble at 142 for four.

But the biggest partnership thus far was yet to come. Ganga put his shakiness behind him, Ricardo Powell started to rotate the strike immediately, and the runs started to come more regularly. Sixty-seven runs were added for the fifth wicket, and in that time Ganga and Powell hit three towering sixes between them, shaking off the chokehold that the spinners had imposed.

Ganga, in the 45th over, looked to accelerate even further, but his intended big hit, instead of being heaved over midwicket, was top-edged to Sarkar at long-on. Ganga scored 44 (56b) with no fours but two sixes.

That seemed to signal the entry of the heavy artillery. Powell, well-known for his big hitting, started tonking the ball around like nobody's business. His fifty (off 38 balls) came with a big heaved six over square leg, and two more came off as many balls in an Ashraful over. After getting only 145 off the first 37 overs, Powell's powerful performance garnered his team 114 off the next 12.

The big-hitting right-hander finally fell off the penultimate ball of the innings, trying to reach a century but falling short on 88 (50b, 7x4, 6x6). In trying to clear the deep point fence, he only found Al Sahariar, who ran in and dived forward to take a fine tumbling catch.

The manner in which Nagamootoo cheekily paddle-swept the final ball of the innings told the story of the innings. Bangladesh, who had done a fantastic job of keeping things tight with spin, started to drift in the crucial final overs, and the tourists grabbed the chance to amass a sizeable 275.

But as the sun emerged and the pitch dried out, the West Indies started to get going. Hinds led the charge, pouncing on anything loose - in line or length - outside the off to essay his favourite punch through the covers. As if a faucet had been turned, the runs started to flow.

In the 11th over, however, Khaled Mashud's gamble of keeping his speedsters on paid off. Not picking a slower ball from Manjural outside the off, Hinds (30, 34b, 5x4) tried to power the ball over the ropes, only to find long-off Hannan Sarkar.

Marlon Samuels, fresh off an innings that had everybody comparing him to Viv Richards, was less king-like today. Struggling to even work the ball off the square for quick ones, he was frustrated when left-arm spinner Mohamamad Rafique served up a flighted delivery outside off. Samuels (9, 15b, 2x4) tried to whack the ball over the infield and perhaps hit it too hard, for Manjural at sweeper cover took a fine catch only yards from the ropes.

Once the field restrictions were removed, run-making became a more mechanical process, and although Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan put together a stand of 26, the West Indies always looked to be tied down. At the end of 25 overs, they were 101 for two, with Gayle on 35 and Sarwan on 17.

The West Indies are coming off a one-day series win in India, their batsmen all in prime form and raring to go. Bangladesh's last tour, on the other hand, was less spectacular; their visit to South Africa saw them comprehensively beaten in all the games by the mighty Proteas.

But a home series is always a different proposition, and the Bangladeshis will be looking to notch up a few wins in this series.

Bangladesh skipper Khaled Mashud won the toss and opted to field first, no doubt wishing to make use of the conditions and what looks like a harder-than-usual pitch for the subcontinent.

Teams:

Bangladesh: Khaled Mashud (captain), Al Sahariar, Hannan Sarkar, Mohammad Ashraful, Habibul Bashar, Alok Kapali, Naimur Rahman, Mohammad Rafique, Tapash Baisya, Manjural Islam, Sanwar Hossain