Bangladesh sets eyes on more CWC Super League points
Overview
Bangladesh vs West Indies, 2nd ODI
Sher-E-Bangla Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka
22 January 2021; 11am local time, 5.00am GMT
Bangladesh marked their first international match in more than 10 months with a much-savoured victory in the first ODI on Wednesday, and if that performance is anything to go by, they will be good for more Super League points.
Shakib Al Hasan, playing his first match for Bangladesh since September 2019, returned a brilliant 4/8 and was named Player of the Match. It was also a particularly memorable outing for Tamim Iqbal, the team having won his first match as captain.
Bangladesh start their ICC @cricketworldcup Super League campaign with a win!
— ICC (@ICC) January 20, 2021
They beat West Indies in the first #BANvWI ODI by six wickets.
📝 Scorecard: https://t.co/76LmNVz1EG pic.twitter.com/wLARhtU7RM
Bangladesh are likely to stick with the same XI, with more Super League points on offer, and their stated objective being to gather enough points to finish in one of the automatic-qualification slots for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
West Indies, meanwhile, will hope their young players gained valuable experience in that first ODI. The team from the Caribbean named six debutants in the opening match, and there was one very clear standout performer – Akeal Hosein returned a brilliant 3/26 to stifle Bangladesh briefly in their chase of 123.
Phil Simmons, the West Indies coach, will hope his side can hold out for longer this time around, allowing the lower-order batsmen, particularly Rovman Powell, to put away the big hits and help his team to a big total.
Whether they can manage that against a confident Bangladesh side remains to be seen.
Debutant #MenInMaroon Akeal Hosein and Kyle Mayers speak to CWI Media after the first ODI versus Bangladesh #BANvWI #WIReady 🏏🌴 pic.twitter.com/biuVf88hq5
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) January 20, 2021
Remember the last time:
West Indies were asked to bat, and the Bangladesh bowlers, led first by Mustafizur Rahman (2/20) and Shakib (4/8) dismantled them for 122. That total was in itself largely thanks to Kyle Mayers, who scored a 56-ball 40 to keep West Indies going.
Bangladesh took their time in the chase, and were restricted briefly by Akeal Hosein. Despite that, captain Tamim Iqbal’s 44 helped them to 125 in just 33.5 overs.
What they said:
Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh all-rounder: "The thing is we haven't played for 10 months, so everybody is anxious and keen to play matches.”
Jason Mohammed, West Indies captain: "It is difficult to score in the middle overs with the spinners, so negotiating that part of the innings is going to be crucial for us.”