A yet another reckless batting show scripted Bangladesh’s 14-run defeat to West Indies, giving the visitors an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series at Bir Shrestha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram on Wednesday.
The bowlers showed a fighting spirit, restricting West Indies to 149-9 from 94-1 in 10 overs but their monumental effort was undermined by the batters as Bangladesh managed to put up 135-8.
Bangladesh lost the first game by 16 runs after a similar wretched batting performance.
Opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim struck 48-ball 61 but found him in the losing side as Bangladesh lost wicket in crunch moment to dig their own graveyards.
Tanzid anchored the innings despite the early departure of Saif Hassan (5) who appeared to lose his steam after a good Asia Cup and Afghanistan series outing.
Captain Liton Das also got a start but failed to carry on. He was dismissed for 23 but Tanzid and Towhid Hridoy took the stranglehold, keeping West Indies bowlers at bay.
Romairo Shepherd who took 3-33, broke through with the wicket of Hridoy who made 12, bringing the side back into the contest as Bangladesh lost five wickets for 50 runs in the last 47 deliveries.
Akeal Hosein who also claimed 3-22 and Jason Holder who had figures of 2-20, tied the scoreboard but a set Tanzid failed to find any innovative way to pace the innings.
A forced shot against Shepherd caused his dismissal in the 18th over, ruining Bangladesh’s chance to level the series.
Earlier, pacer Mustafizur Rahman claimed 3-21 in four overs and two spinners-Nasum Ahmed (2-35) and Rishad Hossain (2-20) picked up four wickets in joint-venture to trigger a sensational West Indies collapse.
Captain Shai Hope top-scored for West Indies with 36 ball-55, an innings laced with three fours and as many sixes. Opener Alick Athanaze hit five fours and three sixes for his 52 off 33.
Both of them scored runs at 150 plus strike, showing the value of big hitting prowess in T20 format.
Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed gave Bangladesh early breakthrough, having claimed the wicket of Brandon King in the second over after West Indies captain Shai Hope won the toss and elected to bat first.
The dismissal of King hardly dented West Indies mood as Hope and Alick Athanaze counterattacked in style to leave the Bangladesh bowlers in disarray.
Showing the six-hitting spree, they established a full dominance, scoring 10 runs per over to keep the side on track of a gigantic score.
In the process both of them reached their half-centuries off just 30 balls with Athanaze raising the feat first, tucking Nasum Ahmed through square-leg for a single.
In the next over, Hope raised his eighth fifty, also with a single driving occasional spinner Shamim Patwari through extra cover.
Nasum Ahmed broke through with the wicket of Athanaze, ending 105-run between him and Hope. The dismissal sparked a collapse as West Indies lost eight wickets for just 38 runs in 50 balls.