Seales, King help Windies clinch ODI series win vs Bangladesh

West Indies completed their first One-Day International (ODI) series win over Bangladesh since 2014 when they got a convincing seven-wicket victory in the second match of their three-match series at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts on December 10.

With the win, the Shai Hope-led West Indies team jumped out to an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

“I think our performance was pretty clinical...we always ask the guys to finish a series after going 1-0 up,” Hope said, during the post-match presentation. “It’s something we have been struggling to do for the last few series at home. It’s one of the challenges we put to the boys...it’s good to see we’re 2-0 up now and we have one more to go to try and finish it 3-0.” Bangladesh batted first and were quickly under the pump as Man of the Match Jayden Seales grabbed three wickets in the first power play en route to finishing with career-best ODI figures of four for 22.

After reeling at 115 for seven after the fall of Rishad Hossain (duck) in the 26th over, Bangladesh got a recovery stand of 92 for the eighth wicket between Mahmudullah (62 off 92 balls) and Tanzim Hasan Sakib (45 off 62) as they eventually got to a modest score of 227.

Seales got things under way with the wicket of Soumya Sarkar (two) in his second over, with the wickets of Litton Das (four) and skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz (one) falling in quick succession. He then returned at the back end to claim the wicket of Mahmudullah who notched consecutive fifties in the series.

Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie chipped in with figures of two for 36, with four other bowlers getting a wicket apiece including Jamaican debutant Marquino Mindley (one for 45). Bangladesh opening batsman Tanzid Hasan (46 off 33) survived Seales’ wrath in the power play, but fell to Justin Greaves after cutting loosely to point in the 11th over.

“I assessed a lot faster and realised what the batsmen were trying to do to me,” Seales said. “In the first game, they were trying to use their feet a lot more and it was just about adjusting my lengths and my lines and trying to force them to play into my hands.”

With no Alzarri Joseph in the playing XI, Seales was tasked with leading the attack.

“I just knew I had a bigger role to play and I just wanted to stand up and put up my hand up for the team. Thankfully, it paid off,” he said.

The Windies were in complete control in pursuit of 228 and they raced to 230 for three by the 37th over to win with 79 balls to spare.

Openers Brandon King (82 off 76) and Evin Lewis (49 off 62) made up for their struggles in the first ODI as they put together a clinical stand of 109 to put the hosts in an advantageous position.

The West Indies openers looked quite comfortable before Lewis offered a simple return catch to Hossain in the 21st over after being struck below the waist by a rapid Nahid Rana delivery in the previous over.

King got to his seventh ODI fifty off 52 balls, but he was robbed of his century landmark when Rana cleaned him up in the 29th over with the Windies score on 175. King struck eight fours and three sixes in his innings, with Lewis clearing the rope four times.

Keacy Carty also got stuck in and played a good hand of 45 from 47 balls before he was dismissed by Afif Hossain.

With captain Hope (17 not out off 21) at one end, first-match centurion Sherfane Rutherford (24 not out off 15) finished off the game in emphatic fashion for the Windies with a pair of massive sixes over the mid-wicket boundary off Shoriful Islam.

“We always analyse our game whether we win or lose. It’s good to see the guys could come and bounce back the way they did,” Hope said.

“We’re not asking too much of them. We just want to see improvements every time.

“We’re trying to climb the ladder and we’re trying to get points so we can get that automatic qualification for the next World Cup. Every game is critical and the guys understand that.”

The last time the West Indies beat Bangladesh in an ODI series ten years ago, a 91-run victory in Basseterre sealed a 3-0 series sweep. From 9.30 am on Thursday, Hope’s charges will try to repeat the trick.

BANGLADESH – 227 from 45.5 overs (Mahmudullah 62, Tanzid Hasan 46, Tanzim Hasan Sakib 45; Jayden Seales 4/22, Gudakesh Motie 2/36) vs WEST INDIES – 230/3 from 36.5 overs (Brandon King 82, Evin Lewis 49, Keacy Carty 45; Afif Hossain 1/12). West Indies won by seven wickets.