Nasum, Miraz spin Tigers to series win against WIndies
NEWS DESK
Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed and offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz shared seven wickets between them in a gem of spin bowling as Bangladesh thrashed West Indies by nine wickets in the second ODI to take an unassailable 2-0 lead at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Wednesday, July 14, 2022.
Bangladesh won the rain-curtailed first match by six wickets and having won the second ODI, they not only sealed the three-match ODI series but also extended their winning streak to West Indies to 10 straight matches.
Also it is Bangladesh’s fifth consecutive bilateral ODI series win – having beaten Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and South Africa before this series win. The series victory is also Bangladesh’s fourth straight against the Caribbean side
The series win in their favoured format came as a soothing pleasure for the side after being whitewashed in two-match Test series and losing the three-match T20 International series by 2-0 (first game ended in a no result due to rain).
On slow track, which gives Tigers a Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla type wicket in Guyana, Tamim Iqbal was again extremely lucky to have won the toss. He asked West Indies to bat first and employed his spinners to torment the hosts batters, a template that Bangladesh always follow at home.
Miraz ended with 4-29 in his eight overs while Nasum though got one wicket less than his spinning partner, he took the crucial wickets of West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran apart from delivering a economical bowling once again. Nasum’s bowling figures 10-4-19-3 looked envious and rightly he was adjudged man of the match.
As the spinners wrecked havoc, West Indies were bowled out for just 108 in 35 overs, which Bangladesh happily gunned down in 20.4 overs, making 112-1.
Skipper Tamim Iqbal led the side with 62 ball-50 not out, hitting seven fours, last of which confirmed Bangladesh’s victory and Tamim’s 53rd half-century. His opening partner Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 20 while Liton Das was not out on 32 off 27 after smacking six boundaries, helping Bangladesh register biggest win in terms of overs batted in a chase in a full 50-overs overseas ODI.
Earlier, West Indies openers Shai Hope and Kyle Mayers made a watchful start but Nasum Ahmed’s tight bowling stifled them to such extent that the hosts could score just 27 runs in first 10 overs.
The pressure to accelerate the scoreboard put a pressure on them that eventually fetched Bangladesh the wicket. Mosaddek Hossain who replaced Taskin Ahmed in the squad drew the blood first, removing Kyle Mayers for 17 and Nasum then struck to get the wicket of Shamarh Brooks (5). He then got rid of Hope for 18 and removed Pooran for duck to leave West Indies in tatters.
Keemo Paul resisted but his 25 not out of 24 balls could only help West Indies propel past 100. Rovman Powell was the other notable scorer with 13 while Brandon King made 11.
Shoriful Islam and Mosaddek Hossain were the other two bowlers to take one wicket apiece.
Bangladesh will take on West Indies for the third and final ODI on Saturday, July 16, 2022 in a bid to sweep off the series.
