The West Indies will play Bangladesh in the third and final ODI of the series at Warner Park in St Kitts on Thursday, December 12. The home team know they cannot afford to relax and must always be on their guard. Bangladesh pride themselves on playing well against spin. They must stand up against the home team’s pacers and ensure they do not fall short of the expectations of their supporters back home.
The West Indies have a lot of players who can execute the plans made by their management and do well both while attacking and defending. This gameplay and strategy work well in one-day cricket, and the Windies will be keen on achieving their goals as quickly as possible. Bangladesh, for their part, must be aware of their limitations when playing in alien conditions and always put on the right foot. At the time of writing, the West Indies had a 1-0 lead over Bangladesh, winning the series’ first game.
Skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz and veteran Mahmudullah will have to play vital roles for Bangladesh in this one-day series. They must pick up from where they left off in the first game. Opener Tanzid Hasan, too, showed glimpses of his class and announced to the world that he was ready to be taken seriously with the bat in hand. With the ball, many of Bangladesh’s hopes rest upon the likes of Taskin Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Both of them have express pace and tight lines that can trouble the West Indian batters.
For the home team, skipper and wicketkeeper Shai Hope is the most deadly batter on offer. Sherfane Rutherford can also make trouble for the Bangladeshi bowlers. Yet, the West Indies hope that Brandon King and Evin Lewis will fire at the top of the order and give the rest of their batters some momentum to follow. Alzarri Joseph and Romario Shepherd are in good form in the bowling department; the duo will be expected to carry on their good work against a Bangladeshi batting unit that looks quite out of its depth.
Predicted Squads
WI: Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (c & wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Justin Greaves, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales.
BAN: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das, Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (c), Jaker Ali (wk), Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana.
Key Players
Sherfane Rutherford (WI): He took the Bangladeshi bowlers for a ride in the first ODI of this series with a swashbuckling century. The same will be expected of him in this game as well. Rutherford is a dangerous batter who lowers the order for the home team. Bangladesh must have their plans ready to tackle the threat he brings. If they do not get him out early when his feet are not moving that well, Bangladesh will continue to suffer at the hands of Rutherford.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (BAN): The all-rounder has had to step up as captain after Najmul Hossain Shanto missed out due to an injury. He is a big threat to the Bangladeshi side and someone to watch out for. Miraz is a dangerous all-rounder who can do equal damage with bat and ball in hand. His willingness to take the extra step for his country and lead them towards glory makes him one of the most respected figures in the Bangladesh dressing room.
Match Prediction
The West Indies are the outright favorites to win this game, and not least because they are playing in conditions familiar to them. Bangladesh have been crippled by the loss of their skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto due to injury, which has forced all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz to take up the reins. Bangladesh do not gel well under their stand-in skipper, which is why the results are not going their way. In this game, the third of the series, the West Indies are the favorites and expected to run away with a victory.
