After hitting back to winning way finally, Bangladesh are keen to keep it up by confirming the three-match series with a match to spare when they take on West Indies in the second One Day International (ODI) at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Wednesday.
The match will start at 7.30pm (Bangladesh Time) and aired live on T Sports Channel. After being whitewashed in two-match Test series and losing the three-match T20I series by 2-0 (first game ended in a no result due to rain), Bangladesh found their feet in their preferred ODI format in which they are now one of the top teams in the world and also invincible to West Indies. Bangladesh’s six-wicket win against Caribbean in the first game was their ninth straight win over the hosts. Only against Zimbabwe they won highest 14 matches in a row.
If Bangladesh win the second game, their winning streak against West Indies will reach double digit figure apart from confirming the series.
The Tigers indeed remained unbeaten against West Indies since 2018. Back then the T20 series was held in USA where they registered 2-1 victory. Bangladesh then twice won series, with 2-1 and 3-0 result in Bangladesh in 2019 and 2021. In between, they won every match against West Indies in neutral venues and multinational tournaments like World Cup and tri-nation series.
Overall the Tigers played 42 matches against West Indies, winning 19 and losing 21. The two matches ended in a no result. The series is a chance for Bangladesh to further reduce the win loss ratio against the two-time World Cup champions.
Bangladesh, however, played 395 ODIs, winning 141 and losing 247 while seven matches didn’t produce any result. But of late Bangladesh’s win ratio is higher than the defeat. Specially after 2015 World Cup, Bangladesh won 15 series and lost just four, which is the testament of their sheer strength in this format. They are now with a chance to register their fourth straight series victory over West Indies and 16 out of 20 since 2015.
But that wouldn’t be cake-walk despite their supremacy over the Caribbean, according to ODI captain Tamim Iqbal. Bangladesh dropped several catches in the first ODI and if the trend continues, it may hurt the side’s chances, Tamim stressed.
“Yes we won the game but there are rooms to improvement. If we play against a bigger team than West Indies in a true condition, these dropped catches could be very costly. After being the captain, I continued to say that we have to grab those chances, otherwise it will be pretty tough to win any multinational tournament,” Tamim said.
“So it’s the thing that we could improvement. Otherwise I am happy with the bowling and batting. But if we didn’t drop four catches, we could have chased a target like 115.”
Bangladesh indeed got a home like condition in Guyana where the wicket was extremely slow, giving Bangladesh bowlers bowl with their preferred line and length.
Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz took three crucial wickets while left arm pacer Shoriful Islam registered his career best 4-34 but debutant Nasum Ahmed bowled economical eight overs (8-3-16-0) to stifle the West Indies batters.
West Indies were restricted to 149-9 in 41-over match, curtailed to rain and Bangladesh hunted down the target in 31.5 overs with 151-4. The Guyana wicket, however, is naturally slow and to delight of Bangladesh, the rest of the two matches will be held at this very venue.
After winning the first match so comprehensively, there is hardly any chance that Bangladesh could bring up any changes to the squad.
ODI squad: Tamim Iqbal (c), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Liton Das (wk), Nurul Hasan Sohan, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Taijul Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed.
West Indies: Shamarh Brooks, Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Keacy Carty, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran (c), Shai Hope, Akeal Husein, Alzarri Joseph, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seals.