The West Indies suffered a heavy 74-run defeat to Bangladesh in the first of three One Day Internationals against the Tigers, held on Saturday, October 18 at Mirpur. This series presents a crucial opportunity for both teams to earn vital points as they strive to qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
Starting the game with the ball, the Men in Maroon restricted the hosts to 203 all out on a pitch that proved difficult for batting. A gritty 51 off 90 deliveries from Tawhid Hridoy and 46 runs off 76 balls from Mahidul Islam Ankon anchored the Bangladeshi innings. Those knocks were instrumental in guiding the home side to what would ultimately be a match-winning total. Jayden Seales was the pick of the bowlers for the West Indies team, claiming three wickets for 48 runs.
In response, the Caribbean side began their chase with a promising opening stand worth 51 runs, courtesy of Brandon King and Alick Athanaze. At that point, they would have felt confident about making serious inroads into Bangladesh’s total. However, as has often been the case for the Windies, a batting collapse soon followed. Rishad Hossain spun a web, taking six West Indian wickets for just 39 runs. The West Indies were eventually bowled out for a meagre 133, falling well short of their target.
West Indies skipper Shai Hope admitted that the conditions were extremely difficult to adapt to. However, he emphasised that his team must acclimatise quickly to have any chance of victory.
“We’ve got two days to turn it around,” he said in a post-match interview. “They bowled really well in the middle period and stopped the flow of runs. It’s important to take the learnings and come back stronger. On a surface like that, you’re never really in; it’s very important as an opening pair to set the tone, and they did that. We needed to build on that foundation. I don’t think it’s gonna change much — We’ve got to adjust, adapt, and find ways to beat Bangladesh.”
This marks the latest in a string of consecutive defeats across formats for the West Indians. They will need to regroup quickly when they face the same opposition at the same venue on Tuesday, October 21.
