Bangladesh West Indies T20 International Series
3rd Match Played at Providence, Guyana
West Indies 169/5 in 18.2 Overs (Nicholas Pooran 74*, Kayle Mayers 55, Nasum Ahmed 2/44, Mahedy Hasan 1/21, Shakib Al Hasan 1/10)
Bangladesh 163/5 in 20 Overs (Afif Hossain 50, Litton K Das 49, Mahmudullah Riad 22, Hayden Walsh 2/25)
West Indies Won By & wickets
Player of the Match: Nicholas Pooran
Player of the Series: Nicholas Pooran.
Another Caribbean Typhoon effected by two explosive southpaws Nicholas Pooran (74*) and Kayle Mayers (55) setting Providence cricket venue on fire knock out Bangladesh. Bengal tigers finished T20 International series battered and bruised. West Indies won the T20 I series 2-0. The first match was rained out. Bangladesh is yet to win any T20 match on West Indian soil.
On a wicket gripping and turning a bit Bangladesh batting better produced 163/5 batting first. Half way in the match it looked like a competitive score. Bangladeshi spinners started well removing Brendon King and Shamaron Brooks within 4 th over for 22. Odean Smith promoted also failed to deliver. Bangladesh was looking to press home as WI was 3/48 by the 7th over. Pooran survived a stumping chance. From there Pooran and Mayers ruthlessly punished Bangladesh bowlers. Two West Indian stroke makers blazed 85 runs in 51 balls. Mayers scored his first T20 fifty in 38 balls striking 5 sixes and 2 fours. Captain Pooran with an unbeaten 74 scored off 39 deliveries played the innings of the match. His innings was punctuated with 5 sixes and 5 fours.
Bangladesh started brightly moving to 35 in the first wicket partnership before Bijoy fell yest again attempting a cross batted stroke of Smith. Flamboyant Shakib threw away his wicket playing one stroke to many. Litton (49) and Afiff were playing smart cricket. The 3rd wicket partnership produced 57 good runs before Litton fell scoring 49. Captain Mahmudullah (22) and Afif (50) added 41 for the 4th wicket. Mahmudullah fell trying to reverse sweep. Afif tried an adventurous couple reaching his second 50. Bangladesh innings could reach 163/5. A little bit of discretion could have taken Bangladesh beyond 180.
With 4 regular and couple more occasional spinners Bangladesh could have defended the score if they could be smarter in the fielding and planned bowling options better. Nasum, Mahedy and Shakib pushed WI to tight corners restricting them to 3/ 43 by the 7th over. Sohan missed two stumping opportunities. Mahmudullah for reasons better known did not use the full quota of Shakib overs. Who says a world-class bowler could not have purchased the wicket of Pooran or Mayers early? Instead Mosaddeq, Mustafiz leaked too many runs feeding stroke play of the two emerging rock stars of West Indies batting. Bangladesh remained winless in this tour of West Indies.
With Shakib given leave of absence yet again and Mushfique performing Haj Bangladesh prospect in the upcoming ODI series is not looking bright.
We must not hesitate praising West Indies. Off course Bangladesh bowling is not comparable with the better international teams. But West Indians have started looking good. Addition of some regulars given rest will give them winning edge. The very next series against far better Pakistan will be an acid test for that.
BDST:1047 HRS, July 8, 2022
MN
