DHAKA, Bangladesh (CMC) — As a strike in Dhaka led to the suspension of the second day’s play of the four-day match between Bangladesh A and West Indies Sagicor High Performance Centreyesterday, Sheldon Cotterrell said he was proud of the way he toiled with the ball to help give his team an early advantage on the opening day.

Cotterrell, a strapping 23-year-old left-arm fast bowler, took four for 15 off 9.1 overs as Bangladesh A were dismissed for 199 in their first innings after winning the toss at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.

The HPC closed on 14 without loss.

“It was a hard day for me, but I just kept my lengths and my lines right, and bowling aggressive as usual on a flat pitch and my hard work paid off,” Cotterrell said.

He reckoned it was a combination of many things that he had learned over the years and his experience at the Sagicor HPC, which helped him to reap success in difficult conditions.

“I kept things simple,” he said. “I bowled and put fear in the batsmen with my short balls and then the pitched-up delivery was right up there with control, very straight, and it worked.”

Cotterrell and fellow opening bowler Carlos Brathwaite, the Sagicor HPC captain, were unsuccessful with the new ball, but kept things extremely tight up front.

A soldier in the Jamaican army, Cotterrell returned to destroy the Bangladesh A tail away with a lethally accurate spell, armed with the second new ball as he accounted for the last four wickets.

“I love to bowl to the tail-enders because they tend to shy away from the pace and I try to soften them up from early with the short stuff and then try to get them out,” he said.

Cotterrell is one of the players in the Sagicor HPC programme who have played in senior regional competitions.

He said he hopes the skills and knowledge he picks up at the Barbados-based HPC can serve him well to tie down a consistent place in the Jamaica national team.

“Being at the Sagicor HPC has taught me a lot about bowling and about my bowling,” he said.

“Playing with these guys has also been a wonderful experience and I have learnt so much from being around them.

“I just want to take this knowledge that I have acquired and apply it for Jamaica to continue to reap success.”

Cotterrell said one of the major lessons he has learnt from the brief stay at the Sagicor HPC so far has been the value of strong team relationships.

“Having the right ‘chemistry’ in a team is very important,” he said. “My teammates are full of energy, so each time that I bowl a bad ball, they are there supporting me and telling me to keep my head up.

“As a fast bowler in such challenging conditions, this goes a long way and helps to give you a bit more confidence and I think this helped me in a major way to get the success.”