West Indies, Bangladesh fight to keep campaign alive
West Indies' defence of their T20 World Cup title has got off to a rocky start. After two losses in two games, they find themselves bottom of the Group 1 table. Ahead of them are Bangladesh, who also have no wins in two matches, but have a better net run rate.
Another loss for either team will bring a premature end to their hopes of finishing in the top two of the group and progressing to the semi-finals.
West Indies' concern going into this do-or-die clash is that their dangerous batting attack has failed to fire. They were bundled out for 55 against England, then limped to 143 against South Africa. The conditions in the UAE have not suited their style of attacking play. That they had to bat first in both matches didn't help, especially since they prefer to chase.
Teams have targetted them with spin early, and Bangladesh, who have an excellent spin attack, will be a threat. Given Bangladesh's left-arm dominated attack, batters like Nicholas Pooran, who match up well against it, might have an important role to play.
Bangladesh, whose T20 style is almost the opposite of the West Indies' six-hitting formula, are also struggling in the UAE. They have been unable to put in a complete performance to take them across the line. The Powerplay, which has proved to be crucial in the tournament, has not been their strongest period.
It is a quick turnaround for them after the game against England, where they were restricted to 124/9.
The teams have faced off 12 times in the format, with honours pretty even. West Indies have won six and Bangladesh five.
Fixture details
- The match: West Indies v Bangladesh, Match 23
- Time: 14:00 Friday 29 October 2021
- Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
West Indieshave Jason Holder coming into the squad in place of the injured Obed McCoy. Holder, who was in good touch in the IPL, may come into contention right away. The bigger changes, though, may be in the batting. With opener Lendl Simmons struggling against South Africa, West Indies might be tempted to bring Chris Gayle back to open, which is a position he has most success in. Roston Chase could also get a game, playing an anchor role that allows the other batters to hit out. Although the Sharjah surface has proved to be tricky to bat on, the fact that it's an afternoon game and the small boundaries might aid the West Indies' power-hitters.
Probable XI: Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Roston Chase, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Kieron Pollard (capt), Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Dwayne Bravo, Hayden Walsh, Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul
Bangladeshmight consider a change to their batting. Opener Liton Das has not built on starts, but the Tigers' concern is that Soumya Sarkar, who is another opening option, had been dropped earlier in the tournament for his poor numbers.
Probable XI: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (capt), Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
**Akeal Hosein:**The left-arm spinner was a late addition to the West Indies squad, having initially travelled with them as an injury replacement. But with a good performance in the warm-up, he broke into the XI and has picked up three wickets in two matches. He has been economical as well, with figures of 2/24 and 1/27 so far.
**Nasum Ahmed:**Bangladesh's left-arm spinner has grabbed his opportunity since being drafted into the XI for the Super 12. He has three wickets from the last two games, going for 29 and 26 runs. West Indies' left-handers will prove a challenge for him, as well as Bangladesh's other left-hand bowlers, but the conditions may help.
Captaincy pick - Shakib Al Hasan
Don't miss out on Shakib Al Hasan based on his poor performance against England in the last game, he still remains the top captaincy choice for this encounter. He has scored 122 runs and chipped in with 11 wickets in five games played in the T20 World Cup so far. He has also taken 19 wickets at a bowling strike rate of 11.6 in 10 T20I innings against the West Indies, strengthening his candidature for captaincy.
Must-have - Evin Lewis
The West Indies opener is a must-have against Bangladesh given he is coming into the match on the back of a half-century against South Africa. The year 2021 has been a fruitful one for the left-handed batter, where he has scored 446 runs in 15 T20Is so far at an strike rate of 163.36.
One of these teams can lift themselves off the bottom spot in the group with a win. A loss will be devastating to their hopes of progression.
Nicholas Pooran, West Indies batter:"It's a good opportunity for us to bounce back. We're not sure how Sharjah is going to play tomorrow. But our focus is not on the small boundaries, to be honest. We just want to execute our skills. And once we can do that, then the results can take care of itself."