On a record-breaking day in Kingstown, Bangladesh completed a 3-0 sweep of the hosts West Indies with a massive 80-run win powered by Jaker Ali‘s sensational 72* and a clinical bowling effort. Jaker Ali‘s 41-ball essay was built on the rapid start provided by the top-order, to help Bangladesh to their highest ever T20I total in West Indies – 189/7.The bowlers then combined to shoot down the hosts for just 109 inside 17overs to script the visitors’ biggest win in terms of runs.
Jaker Ali starred as Bangladesh completed a historic series white-wash against the West Indies following an 80-run victory in the third and final T20I on Friday (December 20) at the Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent. After Jaker Ali smashed 72 off 41 balls to take Bangladesh to a commanding total of 189/7 in their allotted 20 overs, an all-round bowling effort topped by Rishad Hossain’s figures of 3 for 21 bundled out the West Indies for 109.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : If the wind continues from the east, we won’t see dew tonight. Batters will want to use that wind to hit into slightly bigger boundaries – 2m difference in square boundaries. Run-scoring requires serious skill. Same surface. The first T20I – little bit of grass on this pitch. Today, it’s barren, there’s a solitary patch on the wicket and will make scoring even more difficult. Shamim has shown you can hit boundaries and be a game-changer reckons Nikhil Uttamchandani and Carlos Brathwaite
Toss : Bangladesh skipper Litton Das won the toss and opted to bat with Parvez Hossain Emon coming in for Soumya Sarkar in the playing XI . West Indies skipper Rovman Powell bowling first has two debutants Justin Greaves and Jayden Seales in the playing XI.
Jaker Ali’s blistering 72* powers Bangladesh to 189 for 7 in 20 overs
Leading 2-0 in the series, Bangladesh opted to bat first and were served well by a brisk 44-run opening stand where Parvez Hossain Emon (39 off 21) did the bulk of the damage. Bangladesh lost both the openers in quick succession by the end of PowerPlay, but had a solid base of 54/2 to work with. Tanzid Hasan couldn’t capitalize, but Jaker Ali led the charge well thereafter.
Bangladesh had their best start of the series with the bat. Parvez Hossain Emon, who replaced the injured Soumya Sarkar, went after debutant Jayden Seales and Romario Shepherd in the first three overs. Parvez then launched Alzarri Joseph over wide long-on for his first six, before Litton Das fell for 14, his first double-digit score in six innings across formats.
Parvez continued to go after the fast bowlers, blasting Joseph for his second six over long-on. Next ball, though, Justin Greaves caught Parvez at the square-leg boundary after juggling a couple of times. Parvez made 39 off 21 balls, giving Bangladesh their best powerplay (54 runs) of the series.
Bangladesh were 102 for 4 at the start of the14th over when Jaker struck Gudakesh Motie towards deep midwicket. Spotting Obed McCoy getting injured trying to take the catch, Jaker Ali signaled to Shamim not to take the third run as the ball had spilled away from McCoy.
In the next over, Jaker Ali and Shamim had a communication breakdown, with both batters ending up at the striker’s end, while Roston Chase broke the stumps at the bowler’s. Jaker Ali, who ran through the striker’s end, was irate with Shamim. He walked off fuming while the third umpire spotted that he had actually reached the crease before Shamim.
The fourth umpire Gregory Brathwaite hauled Jaker Ali, who had taken off his gears inside the dressing room, out to the middle to continue his innings. The distance between Jaker Ali and Shamim, not looking at each other, as they crossed each other near the boundary was immense.
Joining hands with Mehidy Hasan Miraz at 65/3, the Bangladesh No. 5 helped stabilize with a 37-run stand. Roston Chase got his team a timely breakthrough that triggered a mini collapse as both Shamim Hossain and Mahedi Hasan were run out in the space of three balls. In a moment of confusion, it was indeed Jaker Ali who walked back to the pavilion after the first run-out but was recalled promptly after the replays.
With Bangladesh having slipped to 114/6 in the 15th over, Jaker Ali switched gears and combined with Tanzim Hasan Sakib for a fifty partnership to help his side finish strong. He was himself on 17 off 16 at the time of the callback, and went on to punish the West Indies attack as he fetched 55 runs in 25 balls from thereon. Alzarri Joseph particularly came in the firing line and leaked 12 and 25 runs in his final two overs with Jaker Ali hitting four sixes and two boundaries off the pacer.
As if one dramatic run-out was not enough, Mahedi Hasan was also run-out in the same over. Jaker Ali, however, regrouped quickly in the following over, hitting Joseph straight down the ground for his second six. McCoy then conceded 20 runs in the 18th over when Jaker and Tanzim Hasan Sakib struck a six each; Jaker blasted him with a slog sweep, and Tanzim swung him over long-on.
Joseph then went for 25 in the last over, with Jaker Ali hitting him for three sixes in the last four balls of the innings. It turned out to be Bangladesh’s best-ever 20th over in a T20I. In the end, Jaker Ali, who ended the innings unbeaten with 6 sixes, shared a 50-run stand off 25 balls with Tanzim Hasan Sakib (17 off 11 balls) to take Bangladesh to a challenging total of 189. Jaker Ali was named player of the match for his knock.
Rishad Hossain’s 3-fer sets up 80 runs series win for Bangladesh over WI
Having defended 147 and 129 previously, Bangladesh bowlers had plenty to work with in their bid for maiden T20I series sweep against the West Indies. Taskin Ahmed took just two balls to make an impact when he trapped Brandon King LBW in the opening over of the chase. Despite some fireworks from Nicholas Pooran, the hosts managed only 45 from their powerplay and lost two more wickets in the phase. That included Mahedi Hasan completed a series-wide hat-trick of Pooran’s wicket.
For the third game in a row, West Indies lost half their side before reaching 50. After Taskin Ahmed removed Brandon King early, like in the previous two matches, Greaves was caught at long-on off Mahedi. Johnson Charles and Nicholas Pooran struck a cluster of boundaries before Pooran fell to Mahedi for the third time in the series, bowled off an inside edge for 15. West Indies finished the powerplay on 45 for 3.
Only Romario Shepherd put up a brief fight, but none of the other West Indies batters showed any application in the big chase. The asking rate mounted the pressure, and Bangladesh bowlers sustained their dominance. All five bowlers deployed bagged at least a wicket each, while Rishad Hossain was the pick of the lot with figures of 3 for 21 from his four overs.
As if Pooran’s fall was not enough, Charles then seemed slow in reaching the crease while completing the single; Rishad’s throw caught him short. This was two balls after Hasan Mahmud had dismissed Roston Chase for a duck.
Rishad further got into the act, with three wickets. The leg spinner had Rovman Powell caught behind in the tenth over with a dipping delivery, leaving West Indies on 60 for 6. In his last over, the 15th of the innings, Rishad had Motie caught straight down the ground while Joseph gave a simple catch to Hasan at extra cover. Tanzim and Taskin removed the last two wickets to spark the celebration in the Bangladesh camp.
Presentations and Takeaways from the series
Litton Das the winning Bangladesh skipper said : We played really well in Test cricket and ODI also, unfortunately we did not win but we had the confidence. We know we have a very good bowling wicket and if we score well, we have the bowling to defend. [on Phil Simmons] He never give any pressure, we feel free to play cricket. Not only he but all the coaching staff and the management are helpful.
We are improving day by day, this wicket was pretty good to bat on, the way our bowlers show the character is amazing. At the moment their batting order is better, they have power hitters and we defended 190, it’s a big achievement. At the moment we played really well, whenever we play again, we need to play well and come back strongly.
Rovman Powell the losing West Indies skipper said : In the middle overs we bowled pretty well, in the powerplay we did not control and at the backend. It’s just wickets in clusters, if we lose wickets in the first and second over, you are always going to struggle. This has been the case for the last 8 games or so. We have some time to correct them now. We don’t come together until maybe May 2025 and guys have the time to review and correct the little mistakes.
Hopefully in 2025 the little mistakes can be corrected. [on Bangladesh] They have been fantastic, after the ODI series, they have been very good. Wish them safe travels back home. It’s my first full year as captain, we have improved from being ninth in the world but disappointing to see the last few series, we have fallen away, one can sense it when we are falling away. To all the fans of the Caribbean, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Jaker Ali Player of the Match for blistering 72* said : It has been quite a wonderful series for me throughout. Today the wicket was good compared to the last two games. Today I was looking to take my time and I knew if I take it deep, I could score runs. That was a horrible mix-up and the third umpire called me back.
Fortunately I scored runs after that and I’m happy. It’s all about the mindset and I know the Caribbean boys will come hard whatever the format. I have played the World Cup here and even though I did not do well, things have been going well for me in this format.
Mahedi Hasan Player of the Series for his stellar performances said : World Cup time we had lots of options, that’s why I did not play. Good experience in the Global T20 and that helped here. I enjoyed bowling on this type of wickets, we planned before the series to bowl wicket to wicket.
I know Pooran, played with him in BPL and other leagues, he is a tough batter for a right-hand offspinner but we had plans against him. We did not have a good ODI series but for the T20Is the boys were hungry and hopefully we will do well in the Champions Trophy.
Bangladesh completed their demolition of West Indies with an 80-run win in the third T20I at the Arnos Vale Ground. It resulted in their first 3-0 win in a T20I series in nearly two years as they capped off a tough West Indies tour with a trophy. After posting 189 for 7, they bowled West Indies out for 109, their lowest total against Bangladesh, with the margin of victory being Bangladesh’s second-biggest in terms of runs.
Jaker Ali continued to be their tour’s MVP, signing off with a dramatic, match-winning performance. His unbeaten 72 powered the visitors to 189 for 7, their highest score in the West Indies, before Rishad Hossain helped bowl the opposition out cheaply.
Jaker Ali had walked off the ground when he was on 18 after a mix-up with Shamim Hossain. But the TV umpire Zahid Bassarath instead adjudged Shamim as the one dismissed, as he had placed his bat inside the crease after Jaker Ali. It sparked a dramatic turnaround, as Jaker Ali struck six sixes and three fours in his 41-ball knock.
More history for Bangladesh. They have whitewashed West Indies in T20Is for the first time. And they have done it without many regulars and with a young side. Just superb from them. Today’s win by 80 runs the icing on the cake. Disappointment for the fans and the St Vincent and Grenadines faithful. Taskin started it off with King’s wicket in the first over and once again West Indies did not have a batter who was willing to be there and go big.
Mahedi got Pooran for the third time in the series and except Shepherd the others just fell away. Bangladesh as a collective unit bowled well and they hunted as a pack. All the five bowlers used picked up wickets with Rishad the pick with a three-fer. West Indies once again left to rue their batting which has come a cropper in the series.
That brings to an end this all-format series. The Tests were shared 1-1 while the ODIs was won 3-0 by West Indies and Bangladesh returned the favor with the same scoreline in the T20Is. An unexpected result in the T20Is but credit to Bangladesh who were superb as a whole unit. Some tough questions for West Indies in this format especially their batting.
With this, Bangladesh’s tour to West Indies came to an end. The visitors drew level in the Test series before falling to a 0-3 white-wash in the ODI series, but bounced back in style by beating the fourth-ranked side 3-0 in the T20I series.