Cricket: Pathan scalps 11 as India win by an innings

Left-arm paceman Irfan Pathan claimed a 11-wicket match haul as India crushed Bangladesh by an innings and 140 runs in the first test on Monday.

Sachin Tendulkar had sown the seeds of the huge win when he scored his record-equalling 34th test century on Saturday on the way to a massive 248 not out, enabling India to amass 526 after skittling the hosts for 184 in their first innings.

Bangladesh's ninth wicket pair of Manjural Islam Rana (69) and Tapash Baisya (29) hit a flurry of fours after resuming on 170 for eight before their second innings subsided for 202 on the fourth morning.

Pathan ended a 69-run ninth wicket stand by forcing tail-ender Baisya to fend a short ball to square-leg, claiming six for 51 for a superb haul of 11 for 96 runs.

His fellow left-arm Zaheer Khan sealed victory in the next over when he forced Rana to glove a leg-side catch behind the stumps.

The 20-year-old Pathan's effort, the best by an India paceman in a test away from home, earned him his first man-of-the-match award.

Rana slashed Pathan for two fours through the point region in the first over and flicked the bowler past square leg to achieve his best test score. He hit 12 fours facing 116 balls in his stay of almost three hours.

It was loss number 30 for Bangladesh from the 33 matches they have played since they were given test status in 2000.

India's captain Saurav Ganguly was sympathetic.

"It's still a learning process for them," he told reporters. "It's early days in international cricket and you have to give them time."

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar blamed his top order batsmen for his team's fourth innings defeat in a row.

"The top order is not scoring, that is the main problem," he said. "We hope to improve on that in the second test."

The hosts also fielded poorly and dropped Tendulkar twice before he had reached 50.

Bashar said: "If you drop these catches, you'll pay the price."

The second and final test starts in Chittagong on December 17.

- REUTERS