After losing the first one-day international from a winning position, Bangladesh are set to face West Indies in the second ODI at Warner Park today. The first game of the three-match series didn't go as per Bangladesh's plan, and now they will be aiming to keep the series alive.
Bangladesh pacers did all the hard work in the first 15 overs, picking up five wickets, but couldn't deliver the knockout punch, as a counterattack from Kieron Pollard and Denesh Ramdin rescued the West Indies.
Windies were not chasing a big total but still their top-order crumbled and they found themselves reeling at 34 for five. One wicket at that point would have exposed the tail but a lack of plan saw Pollard and Ramdin slowly rebuild the innings.
"We have to do the right things to get rid of these batsmen," Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim said. "We did it for a short period but we didn't do it for the rest of the game. We have to come up with better plans."
However, the visitors have plenty of positives to take away from the opening match, as despite putting a below par total they attacked the Windies batsmen from the start.
They tied down the likes of Chris Gayle, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo and Dwayne Bravo, and 20-30 runs more on the scoreboard the result could have been different.
For the West Indies, there were positives to take away from the match, but also a few areas of concern.
"There is a lot of room for improvement, especially after the shaky start," Windies skipper Bravo said. "It is good to see two of our top five batsmen can score the big runs, though. I expect a lot more with the newer ball."
The form of opener Anamul Haque, who struck a century in the opening game, is a good sign for the touring party, while Tamim Iqbal seems to have found his touch. He looked good in his small innings and gave a decent start to the team.
Captain Rahim is Bangladesh's most prolific run scorer this season and will be looking to avoid throwing his wicket away in the second match.
Meanwhile, losing wickets in bunches is a worrying factor for the home side, as after going five down quickly, they also lost Pollard and Ramdin in quick succession, later in the innings. Jason Holder, however, drove the team to victory, but Pollard and Ramdin should have really finished the game off for their side.
"We have been playing together for a long time and this was a great opportunity for us to come together and get a very good win for the side," Pollard said.
"We were however, a little disappointed that we did not stay and carry things right through until the end, but this is something that we will need to continue to work on and try to consistently and strongly finish games."
Bangladesh need to take positives into the second game and play with a lot more determination, knowing that they do not have the luxury of having Shakib al Hasan in the middle. The visitors are capable of pulling off a victory against an unpredictable West Indies team and end their woeful run this season.
Expected lineups: West Indies: Chris Gayle, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Dwayne Bravo (capt), Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Jason Holder, Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach.
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Imrul Kayes, Shamsur Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Nasir Hossain, Mahmudullah, Sohag Gazi, Mashrafe Mortaza, Taskin Ahmed and Al-Amin Hossain.
Where to Watch Live
The second ODI between West Indies and Bangladesh is scheduled for a 6:30 pm IST (1:00 pm GMT, 9:00 am ET and 6:30 pm BDT) start with live coverage on Ten Cricket and Ten HD in India. BTV and Gazi TV will telecast the match live in Bangladesh and catch the ball-by-ball updates online HERE or HERE.
Viewers in the US can catch the match live on ESPN 3 with live streaming option HERE. The game will also be streamed live online on Willow TV HERE. Watch the match in Caribbean on Sports Max, while South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can view the match on SuperSport and live online HERE. In the UK, the game will be aired live on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD with streaming option HERE.
