Reifer lauds bowlers' effort

The final four Bangladesh wickets may have nearly doubled the total on the second day, but West Indies captain Floyd Reifer has praised his bowlers for keeping the visitors to a modest score.

"I don't think we let them off the hook. The pitch is the kind that anyone who comes in and puts their head down, they can get runs," Reifer said. "At 121 for 6, you would still expect someone to put up a partnership." Only one of the top six Bangladesh batsmen reached 30, but three of the remaining five crossed that mark to boost the first-innings score to 238.

"I though we bowled well, particularly Kemar [Roach] and Tino [Best], who hit their lines and lengths aggressively," he said. Best concentrated on accuracy, instead of striving for pace, and was rewarded with the wickets of Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful, while promising 21-year-old debutant Roach bagged three late-order scalps.

The makeshift West Indies side is filled with batsmen who have little international experience but Reifer hoped they would build on the advantage provided by the bowlers. "We are now looking to bat for the entire third day," he said. "I have asked the guys to bat in partnerships, and this is what we are looking for - consistent batting down the order."

Reifer, 36, is leading a second-string side with West Indies' regular players boycotting the Test because of a stand-off with the board over contracts. Reifer himself is enjoying an unexpected opportunity at the international level, having played his previous Test more than ten years ago. "I have not played Test cricket for a while, but I have been playing pretty good cricket in the domestic competition, and I will be looking for a big score when I get in to bat."