Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
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Image credit: Times of India |
Four, six, dot or out. Do Bangladesh know anything other than these in T20Is?
West Indies won’t be complaining. They built pressure by taking wickets in the first T20I, and they’ll be backing themselves to do the same as the series moves to the United States of America. As the world champions in this format, they should be backing themselves to win the series against a side that just hasn’t taken a grasp of the format. Surely.
Why? Because Bangladesh continue to leave plenty to be desired. They just never got going in St. Kitts on Tuesday night, losing wicket after wicket faster than a non-Asian side on a rank turner, simply because it was a shot a ball, rather than properly planning an innings. Can they put in a better show and keep the series alive? Given their form, which is three wins in their last 21 T20Is, it seems unlikely. However, Bangladesh can cause a surprise, so West Indies need to beware.
Key to a West Indies win
Led by Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul and Kesrick Williams, the Windies broke the back of Bangladesh’s batting in comprehensive fashion on Tuesday.
Seeing Bangladesh play a shot a ball was the equivalent of beautiful music to the ears for the Windies, with a wicket always around the corner. The key for West Indies will be their bowlers to continue to complement each other, whilst snaffling up the many chances Bangladesh are sure to offer. They have bowled out the opposition twice in three completed games at Lauderhill, and if they do the same here, they’ll take the series.
Also, as mentioned in
my 1st T20I Preview, if the Windies batting fires, any total Bangladesh can muster probably won’t be enough. With West Indies boasting three of the four highest totals at Lauderhill, Bangladesh’s bowlers are sure to be in for a tough day.
Key to a Bangladesh win
There was simply no balance or proper planning to their batting effort, and 143/9 was peanuts. A total like that was never going to be enough.
In this must-win T20I, they must put an emphasis on rotating the strike, so they get the most out of their boundaries. Also, they never had a chance to launch at the end, simply because they had no wickets in hand. Will they learn from their mistakes and give enough runs for their bowlers?
Speaking of the bowlers – they have a big ask in keeping the Windies quiet. Can they pick up wickets regularly to halt progress? The likes of Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan and Rubel Hossain will be key.
Possible teams
Can’t see West Indies making any changes.
West Indies possible XI: 1. Evin Lewis, 2. Andre Fletcher, 3. Andre Russell, 4. Marlon Samuels, 5. Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6. Rovman Powell, 7. Carlos Brathwaite (c), 8. Keemo Paul, 9. Ashley Nurse, 10. Samuel Badree, 11. Kesrick Williams
For Bangladesh, I expect at least one change. Soumya Sarkar’s horrible form continues, and could be replaced by Mossadek Hossain.
Bangladesh possible XI: 1. Liton Das, 2. Tamim Iqbal, 3. Soumya Sarkar, 4. Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5. Shakib Al Hasan (c), 6. Mahmudullah, 7. Ariful Haque, 8. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9. Mustafizur Rahman, 10. Nazmul Islam, 11. Rubel Hossain
Stats and Facts
- Bangladesh have lost five T20Is in a row. It is the sixth time they have lost at least five T20Is in a row.
- West Indies won the last completed game at Lauderhill, which yielded 489 runs against India.
- Tamim Iqbal needs 65 runs to complete 1,000 international runs in 2018.
Prediction
Hoping for a better Bangladesh performance, but they are really struggling in this format. West Indies, on the other hand, look strong. They should win and take the series out.
Thanks for reading!