Bangladesh will take on West Indies in the second match today (Monday) at Warner Park in Sti Kitts in a bid to level the three-match ODI series. The match will start at 7.30pm (Bangladesh Time), reports BSS.
The Tigers, as it was adorably called, are trailing by 1-0 in the series following a five-wicket victory in the first match.
The defeat ended their 11-match winning streak against the West Indies and also put them on the brink of snapping their four-match unbeaten run in bilateral series.
Bangladesh have never lost a bilateral ODI series against West Indies since 2016. In this period they won four series-two at home and two on Caribbean Island.
If they want to maintain the record, they must win the second game and keep the series alive.
"We still have a chance because we have just lost one game and if we can win the next game we can have the opportunity to win the series," Bangladesh stand-in skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz said.
"Batting wise we batted well and put up a good total and our bowlers also started well but in the middle overs, they did a partnership and we could not get wickets and that middle-over partnership put us in the back foot."
Bangladesh put up a respectable 294-6 in the first ODI, which West Indies overhauled with 14 balls to spare, thanks to Sherfane Rutherford's 80 ball-113. He was ably supported by captain Shai Hopes' 86.
Question raised whether Bangladesh's total was satisfactory on an extremely batting-favourable wicket like this. Specially the innings of Miraz who played 101 balls for his 74 was heavily criticised.
Many believed that if Miraz could play a knock close to even 100 strike rate, Bangladesh could have taken the score past 320.
Miraz however said the total was satisfactory but they could bowl well in the middle overs to curb the aggression of Rutherford and Hope.
"We were satisfied with the total. 294 is a very good score on this kind of pitch. Credit to them, especially Hope and Rutherford. They got a partnership on this wicket. It was a tough day for our bowlers," he lamented.
"In cricket, it can happen, but still wicket was looking good and they played well. We'll learn from so many things. We made some mistakes. We'll focus on how to get better in the next matches. We have two matches left, so I think we have a good chance."
The two sides met 45 times in this format with West Indies now taking the lead with 22 win. Bangladesh won 21 matches while the rest of the two matches ended in a tie.
Squads: Bangladesh: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Captain), Litton Kumer Das (WK), Tanzid Hasan
Tamim, Soumya Sarkar, Parvez Hossain Emon, Md Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali Anik,
Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud,
Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.
West Indies : Shai Hope (c), Brandon King (vc), Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Shimron Hetmyer, Amir Jangoo (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.
