Hosts Bangladesh and West Indies played out a thriller for the ages in Mirpur, Dhaka on a minefield of a surface where both teams made errors and could not be separated after 50 overs. The match ended in a tie after which West Indies upstaged Bangladesh in the Super Over by one run. It was a case of so near yet so far as Bangladesh were inches away from winning the series but now have to play a decider on 23rd. We will try to analyse three reasons for their loss to West Indies in second ODI.
Failure to land the knockout punch hurts Bangladesh
Bangladesh struggled on this minefield while batting first but did well in the end overs to post 213 which was a competitive score on this minefield. Bangladesh started well with the ball taking wickets at regular intervals and keeping West Indies under lot of trouble. They had West Indies reeling at 133/7 in 34 overs in the chase of 214 and the writing was on the wall at this stage. We felt Bangladesh would win the match and series as well.
But destiny had different plans. West Indies captain Shai Hope gave hope to the West Indies and held the innings from one end while Justin Greaves chipped in as well. The duo put on 44 for the 8th wicket when Greaves fell but Bangladesh still had a chance to win after that at 177/8. But they failed to deliver the knockout punch. Akeal Hosein then stitched a crucial partnership with Hope as they added 34 runs for the 9th wicket but even then Bangladesh had a chance when Hosein was dismissed by Saif Hassan with 3 needed off 1 ball and Hope at the non-striker’s end.
Last man Khary Pierre came out to bat and miscued a shot in the air to square leg where the keeper Nurul Hasan ran after it and tried to take the catch but he dropped it and the batters got a brace to get us into the Super Over. Had Nurul taken that catch, Bangladesh would have won on normal time. In Super Over, it was a case of missed opportunities as Bangladesh fell short by a run. Looking ahead to the series decider, Bangladesh must be more ruthless and try and finish the game off from winning position to achieve success. In the first ODI, they did that, but lacked a little bit in this game.
Inability to dismiss Shai Hope comes back to bite Bangladesh
Bangladesh did well to take the wickets they did, but one man stood tall amidst the ruins for West Indies and that was their captain Shai Hope. Shai Hope stood tall like a warrior and never gave up and lost hope from a hopeless situation. He kept fighting as Bangladesh failed to get rid of him. They had certain plans in place, but couldn’t quite execute that properly as Hope had all the answers.
As it turned out, Hope became a thorn for Bangladesh as he kept West Indies afloat even from a possible losing position. He navigated through the innings as Bangladesh lacked little ideas and creativity in dismissing him. Had they been able to dismiss Hope, they would have won this game for sure. But Hope was there doing the heavy lifting in normal game and in super over with bat and as captain, as West Indies won and levelled the series 1-1.
Looking ahead, Bangladesh needs to find a plan to dismiss Hope as if they dismiss him, they will keep West Indies down to a low score. We saw in the first ODI, he went cheaply and West Indies fell short of 208 by a whopping margin. So, Hope is the key wicket and Bangladesh could not get him and thereby paid the price for their loss in the super over as well.
Inability to rotate strike and play Alick Athanaze hurts Bangladesh
It was a struggle for Bangladesh after they opted to bat first on a minefield of a track. It was such a track that West Indies made history by bowling 5 spinners and no single fast bowler which is a record in ODIs. Bangladesh struggled against the spinners of West Indies and that carried on for 40 overs. Yes, they recovered thanks to Rishad Hossain’s pyro-techniques that they got past 200, but at one stage they were 131/6 in 40 overs.
One glaring aspect that came to our notice was how they fared up against Alick Athanaze who by all duo respect is a part-time bowler. But he was introduced based on the conditions on offer, and turned out to be the most economical bowler for West Indies. What really was shocking was Bangladesh did not have intent to rotate strike against him as he got hit for one boundary only and bowled maiden overs after maiden overs. It was just intriguing to see that he bowled in the middle overs and finished with 2/14 in 10 overs which included 3 maiden overs. Yes, he picked up 2 wickets and got his rewards, but only 14 runs in 10 overs was gold dust to the West Indies.
Bangladesh struggled against the others also and it was only due to a few dropped catches and Rishad Hossain’s heroics with the bat that they got past 200 and made 213 with 82 coming off the back 10 overs that made sure we had a contest to remember. Otherwise, West Indies would have been chasing under 200 and would have won on normal time. Looking ahead to the decider, Bangladesh must plan better and rotate strike against spinners well in order to succeed as giving Athanaze these figures doesn’t do justice to them. Yes, the pitch is extremely difficult for the batters.
What Lies Ahead
The stage is set for the series decider on 23rd October 2025 in Mirpur, Dhaka at 1 PM IST as Bangladesh lock horns with West Indies. Both teams will take a lot out of this match and we could be in for a blockbuster and a low scoring thriller to see who gets the bragging rights. Important points up for grabs for both teams.
Let us wait and watch how the series decider pans out on 23rd October, with everything at stake for both struggling teams it must be said.
Also Read: BAN vs WI: West Indies Win A Spectacle & Level Series