Dominant West Indies Down Bangladesh in 2nd T20I to Secure Series Win

West Indies defeated Bangladesh by 14 runs in the 2nd T20I at Chattogram. They produced strong performances in both innings, as Romario Shepherd remained their star player of the match. With this victory, West Indies won the three-match T20I series as well by getting an unassailable lead of 2-0. This is a big achievement for the Caribbean team, as winning the series in the subcontinent means a lot for their young team.  

As far as Bangladesh are concerned, they would be feeling quite disappointed after this loss. Their recent record in home T20Is has been exceptional, however, this series has come as a major setback for them.

Talking about the match, it was a nail-biting contest between Bangladesh and West Indies. The visitors showcased more discipline in both innings, which allowed them to stay composed during the tough situations.

Batting first, West Indies started the innings cautiously. After losing an early wicket, they played smartly without going for rash shots. Both Alick Athanaze and Shai Hope played exceptional knocks, giving West Indies a strong base in batting. Alick Athanaze starred with a gritty fifty, while Shai Hope scored 55 runs off just 36 balls.

The duo were going along superbly until Nasum Ahmed removed Alick Athanaze in the 12th over. Soon after that, Shai Hope also fell quickly, as Bangladesh applied pressure during the middle overs.

Their dismissal made things a bit tricky for the West Indies, as they lost more wickets in the following overs. This was the time when Bangladesh came back into the game, as they squeezed the scoring rate by bowling tight spells.

West Indies were earlier looking to post more than 180 runs on the board, however, the collapse during the middle overs disrupted all their plans. They managed to score only 149 at the end of the innings, as Mustafizur Rahman starred for Bangladesh by taking 3 wickets.

Starting the chase in the second innings, the home team didn’t have a great start. They lost Saif Hassan inside the Powerplay, courtesy of some fine bowling by Jason Holder. His dismissal put a bit of pressure on the batting, however, Tanzid Hasan responded strongly by playing positive cricket.

He made a decent partnership with Litton Das, until Akeal Hosein sent the Bangladesh captain back after scoring just 23 runs. The dismissal of Das derailed the Bangladesh innings, making the pursuit of 150 runs quite difficult for the incoming batters. As a result, no one contributed strongly to the scoreboard  while the required rate kept on rising.

Tanzid Hasan held the innings from one end, however, his lone battle proved unfruitful for the Bangladesh team. He got out in the 18th over after scoring a fighting 61 off 48 balls.

The dismissal of Tanzid ended the hopes of the tigers, as West Indies seized the opportunity and won the game by 14 runs. By winning this match, they also clinched the T20I series by taking an unassailable lead of 2-0. Both teams will now play the last match of the series at the same venue on October 31, in which the home side will try to take a consolation win to end the series on a high.