West Indies win ODI series against Bangladesh with a game to spare

West Indies’ Shai Hope. File
| Photo Credit: AP

The West Indies won a one-day international series against Bangladesh for the first time in 10 years on Tuesday, December 11, 2024.

The West Indies shot out Bangladesh for 227 in 46 overs and strolled to 230-3 in 37 overs. The host won the series with a game to spare.

“It’s great to see the bowlers bounce back the way they did,” captain Shai Hope said. “Gotta tick boxes and keep improving. We were clinical. We’ve been struggling to win series at home (so) hope to finish 3-0 now.”

On the same pitch where the West Indies won by five wickets on Sunday, the par score was 300. But fast bowler Jayden Seales undercut Bangladesh with three wickets in the first powerplay. Seales returned to bag Mahmudullah for 62 in the 45th over and finish with a match-deciding 4-22 in nine overs.

The chase was almost a formality. Brandon King and Evin Lewis opened with a 109-run partnership in 21 overs. King led with 82 and Lewis and Keacy Carty were out just short of half-centuries.

Bangladesh was 115-7 in the 26th over when Tanzim Hasan Sakib joined Mahmudullah and they rescued the innings.

While they were batting with increasing ambition, Bangladesh could dream of 270-280.

Mahmudullah reached a fifty off 84 balls, and Tanzim was closing on his when he was out caught and bowled by off-spinner Roston Chase. Tanzim had 45 off 62 and the partnership reached 92 runs from 106 balls.

Mahmudullah was out in the next over for 62 off 92.

In the chase, Lewis was slower to get in a groove than King and was dropped on 28.

King and Lewis were both hit on the body in the 40s while attempting pulls at Nahid Rana.

King’s eighth boundary brought up his fifty off 52 balls but Lewis was out for 49, to a tame caught and bowled by Rishad Hossain.

King’s best shot was a six when he came down the track at Tanzim and sent the ball back over the medium-pacer’s head and rebounding off the roof.

He was eventually yorkered by Rana, out for 82 off 76 balls, including eight boundaries and three sixes.

He’d combined for 66 in eight overs with Carty, who would fall for 45 off 47 with victory just 31 more runs away. The teams stay in Basseterre for the last ODI on Thursday (December 12).