What we saw today was a thoroughly professional performance by the West Indies as they excelled in all three departments of the game to win the game and upstage Bangladesh by 16 runs. West Indies looked like a more determined team and wanted to win the game more today. Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, West Indies rode on enterprising 40s from Shai Hope and Rovman Powell to get to a competitive 165/3 in 20 overs.
In reply, Bangladesh were restricted to 149 in 19.4 overs with Jason Holder and Jayden Seales picking up 3 wickets apiece while Akeal Hosein picked up 2 wickets as they upstaged the hosts’ resistance till the end to eke out a close but impressive 16-run win to go 1-0 up in the series.
Shai Hope & Rovman Powell’s Enterprising 40s powers West Indies to a competitive 165/3
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Alick Athanaze and Brandon King came out to open for West Indies while Nasum Ahmed had ball in hand for Bangladesh. Nasum started off with a decent first over. Taskin Ahmed had ball in hand from the other end. He too bowled a decent over. Another change in bowling as Tanzim Hasan Sakib was introduced into the attack. Athanaze survived a LBW appeal and the run out chance as an overthrow gave away a run. King got the first boundary away by pulling it past deep backward square leg for a boundary.
Taskin continued as Athanaze slammed him for a boundary down the ground to wide long-on. Taskin lost his radar and bowled wides as Athanaze slashed him away past diving backward point for a boundary. Athanaze got another boundary few balls later by getting a top edge over the keeper’s head. Mustafizur Rahman was introduced into the attack next and he bowled a decent over.
Nasum Ahmed returned to the attack to bowl the final over of powerplay and he too bowled a quiet over as Litton Das missed a difficult stumping off Nasum to give King a life. At the completion of powerplay, West Indies were off to a steady start at 35/0 in 6 overs. Rishad Hossain was introduced into the attack post the powerplay. King took him on by pressing forward and extended his forearms to send the ball over long-off for the maximum. Athanaze joined the party as he rocked back and cut the short and wide ball past backward point for a boundary. King survived a close LBW appeal as the impact was outside off-stump.
Sakib continued as the 50 came up for the West Indies and of the partnership as well. Athanaze took on Sakib by helping the ball on the pads on its way over long leg for the maximum. Rishad continued and got rid of Athanaze for 34 off 27 balls with 4 fours and a maximum to his name as this was his 100th wicket in T20s.
Rishad bowled a good length delivery on the stumps. Athanaze went for the reverse sweep and went down at one knee and swished across even before the ball had arrived. The ball hit his glove and then on the pads before tricking into the stumps. Captain Shai Hope came out to bat at 3 and got off the mark straightaway. Nasum returned to the bowling attack. Hope took him on and tonked it by clearing his front leg to send the ball over long-on for the maximum.
At the end of 10 overs at the halfway stage of the innings, West Indies were at a solid 70/1 when the players paused for the Drinks Break. Rishad continued after the break as Brandon King rocked back and belted the short ball over deep midwicket for the maximum. Mustafizur returned to the attack now and bowled another decent over.
Taskin returned and struck for Bangladesh as Brandon King finally fell for 33 off 36 balls with one four and two sixes to his name. Taskin from over the wicket bowled a good length delivery around the middle and leg stump slower ball. King cleared his front leg and heaved it away on the onside from the inner half of the blade. Tanzim at deep backward square leg settled underneath it and took a good catch. This was Taskin’s 50th wicket in T20Is. Sherfane Rutherford came out to bat next ball and fell for a golden duck as Taskin had 2 in 2 balls and was on a hat-trick.
Taskin bowled a back of a length delivery around the fourth stump. Rutherford went back and across and went for the pull shot but lost his shape in the process. He got a top edge which went straight up in the air. Litton called for it and moved to his right to settle underneath it and took a fantastic catch. Rovman Powell in his 100th T20I came out to bat next and survived the hat-trick ball to get off the mark as well.
Rishad continued as Hope took him on by hitting him for back-to-back sixes first down the ground straight as an arrow and then sailed over deep midwicket for the maximum. Nasum continued as the 100 came up for West Indies in 14,2 overs. West Indies were 101/3 in 15 overs as Nasum bowled a miserly over to finish his economical spell. The stage was set for a good finish with wickets in hand.
Tanzim returned to the attack as Hope played a cheeky shot by reverse scooping it over top of short third man for a boundary. Rovman Powell got a reprieve as Tanzim put him down at short third man off Rahman. The Fizz bowled a quiet over. Hope took the attack to Taskin by clearing his front leg and tonked it straight over the bowler’s head for the maximum. Powell joined in the fun as he slashed and slashed hard by throwing his hands at it and the ball flew over short third man for a boundary. Mustafizur came and bowled the 19th over as Powell took him on by smoking it over deep midwicket for the maximum. The Fizz finished his spell with miserly figures.
Sakib came to bowl the final over of the innings. Powell was set and he launched the full toss at the stumps by clearing his front leg and smoked it over deep midwicket for the maximum. Powell went big again and thumped it over long-on for the maximum. Powell went big again and threw the kitchen sink at it to clear long-on only just for the maximum. Powell got a brace off the final ball of the innings as 22 runs came off the final over.
West Indies finished with 165/3 in 20 overs with Hope remaining unbeaten on 46 off 28 balls with 1 four and 4 sixes to his name while Powell made 44 off 28 balls with 1 four and 4 sixes to his name. Just 8 extras given by the fielding side. Taskin Ahmed finished with 2/36 in 4 overs. Rishad Hossain finished with 1/40 in 4 overs. Nasum Ahmed finished with 0/15 in 4 overs. Mustafizur Rahman finished with 0/24 in 4 overs. Tanzim Hasan Sakib finished with 0/47 in 4 overs and was expensive on the night. This meant that Bangladesh needed 166 runs to win off 20 overs to take out the first match of the series.
All-Round Bowling display led by Jason Holder & Jayden Seales helps West Indies eke out a 16-run win
Chasing 166 for the win, Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hasan came out to bat for Bangladesh while Akeal Hosein had ball in hand for West Indies. Tanzid made his intentions clear by rocking back and pulled it over deep backward square leg for the maximum. Hosein bowled another short ball at the stumps which Tanzid rocked back again and pull it away over midwicket for a boundary.
Jayden Seales had ball in hand from the other end and was greeted with a boundary by Tanzid Hasan as he stepped down the track and slapped it through gap of extra cover and mid-off for a boundary. Seales got rid of Tanzid in the end for 15 off 5 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to his name.
Seales bowled a hard length delivery around the fourth stump line. Tanzid hung back and looked to thump it over the top of mid-on. Extra bounce for Seales as Tanzid missed the stroke from the slice of the bat. Shepherd took the catch really well jumping in the air and grabbed an absolute stunner with both hands. Captain Litton Das came out to bat next. Saif took the attack to Seales by staying deep and picked out the length quickly over deep square leg fence for the maximum.
Akeal continued as Litton Das brought out the reverse sweep as the arm ball around off-stump by changing his stance and reverse swept over top of backward point for a boundary. Akeal struck again as he removed the big fish Litton Das for 5 off 8 balls with a boundary to his name. Hosein bowled a back of a length delivery around the middle stump line that gripped and turned away. The ball held on to the surface as Litton rocked back and looked to work it away on the leg side. He chipped it to the right of Hosein who moved to his right and the ball stuck. Towhid Hridoy came out to bat next.
Khary Pierre came into the attack next. Hridoy opened the account with a boundary as he rocked back and played it really late. He slashed it away past the left of backward point for a boundary. Hosein struck again as he got rid of Saif for 8 off 7 balls with a maximum to his name. Hosein bowled an arm ball on a length around the leg stump, Saif went down one knee and got inside the line and swept it uppishly. He failed to clear the fielder at short fine leg and Romario Shepherd took the catch. Shamim Hossain came out to bat next and got off the mark soon.
Jason Holder came out to bowl next. Holder struck straightaway as he removed Shamim for 1 off 4 balls. Holder bowled a short of a length delivery around the leg stump which was not the length to play that pull shot. Shamim cleared his front leg and looked to play the pull shot and he missed it on the inside edge and the ball hits the ball at the stumps. Nurul Hasan came out to bat next. At the completion of powerplay, Bangladesh were in trouble at 42/4 in 6 overs.
Romario Shepherd came out to bowl next. He bowled a tight over. Holder continued and managed to keep things tight even as Holder hit Hridoy for a boundary down the ground for a boundary. Khary Pierre came out and picked up another wicket as Nurul was dismissed for 5 off 10 balls. He bowled it flatter fired around the fourth stump. Nurul decided to play it off the back foot. He got rushed at it and looked to play the square cut but got a thick inside edge to come back and rattle the stumps. Tanzim Hasan Sakib came out to bat next and got off the mark next.
West Indies were 59/5 in 9 overs when play was halted with floodlight failure for a while as early drinks was taken. Shepherd returned after the break. He bowled a decent over as Bangladesh reached 63/5 in 10 overs. They now needed 103 off the last 60 balls.
Khary Pierre continued as Sakib opened his shoulders and unfurled a short-arm opened his shoulders before taunting it towards the long-on region. Bangladesh were 71/5 with 95 now required off 54 balls. Seales continued and kept things in the balance even as the two batters survived another run out chance. Seales then removed Hridoy for 28 off 25 balls with 2 fours to his name. Seales bowled an off-pace short ball at the rib cage. Hridoy pulled it straight to the fielder at short fine leg who could not grab it on the first go and then stretched his left hand to catch it with one hand. Nasum Ahmed came out to bat next. Hosein bowled another tight over.
Shepherd came back into the attack. Sakib took the attack to Shepherd and posted it above deep midwicket for the maximum. Sakib managed to get a boundary in by getting a streaky boundary past the stumps through an inside edge. Sakib was on a roll as he completed a hat-trick of boundaries by squirting it to deep backward point for a boundary. Khary Pierre returned to the attack as Nasum muscled it towards long-on for a boundary. The 100 came up for Bangladesh in 14.4 overs. Nasum launched Pierre and hit him down the ground for the maximum over long-on.
At the completion of 15 overs, Bangladesh were 111/6 as 31 runs were scored in the last two overs. Holder returned to the attack as Nasum flat batted it over mid-off for a glorious boundary. Sakib then got dismissed to Holder for 33 off 27 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to his name. Holder bowled the back of the length outside off-stump. Sakib slashed hard and sliced it late as Chase stationed at deep backward point seemed to have misjudged it and was able to adjust and push himself towards his right to take the catch. Rishad Hossain came out to bat next and got off the mark with a braze.
Seales came back into the attack as Nasum connected this time to swing it away and got it past long-on for a boundary. Seales hit back a few balls later to get rid of Nasum for 20 off 13 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to his name. He bowled an off-pace ball on a slightly fuller length. Nasum hit it with a golf swing and the ball went up in the air. Powell at long-on caught it and realised he was going over the ropes. He threw it towards Holder who ran towards him from long-off and thus the catch was completed. Taskin Ahmed came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
Rishad hit Holder for a boundary under streaky circumstances through deep third man. But Holder bounced back and got rid of Rishad for 6 off 3 balls with a boundary to his name. Holder bowled a slower ball on a full length outside off-stump. Rishad had to go for the big shot and he swung hard only to mistime it and Powell ran in from long-on to take the catch easily. Mustafizur Rahman came out to bat next and got off the mark soon. Taskin took on Holder and deposited it over midwicket, a clean strike for the maximum.
Seales continued as Rahman got the outside edge past the slips and away to the short third fence. Bangladesh were 146/9 in 19 overs and needed an improbable 20 off 6 balls with a wicket in hand. Romario Shepherd got the ball in hand to bowl the over. Taskin swatted Shepherd for the maximum that’s what he thought, but alas! He stepped onto the stumps as he was too deep in his crease. The short ball from the bowler as the batter went deep in the crease to pump it over deep midwicket. But he stepped onto the stumps as he was too deep in the crease. Taskin fell for 10 off 8 balls with a maximum to his name.
Rahman remained unbeaten on 11 off 8 balls with a boundary to his name. 7 extras given by West Indies as Bangladesh were bowled out for 149 in 19.4 overs. All the West Indies bowlers bowled well. Jason Holder finished with 3/31 in 4 overs while Jayden Seales finished with 3/32 in 4 overs. Akeal Hosein finished with 2/22 in 4 overs. Khary Pierre finished with 1/33 in 4 overs while Romario Shepherd ended with 1/29 in 3.4 overs. So, West Indies win by 16 runs to win the match and take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. Rovman Powell was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead
West Indies have taken a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series and will look to seal the deal on Wednesday night on 29th October 2025 when the second match takes place at the same venue. The hosts will want to bounce back hard and look to level the series. Can they do it? A riveting battle awaits us on Wednesday night.