Tigers complete clean sweep

Bangladesh national cricket team completed yet another clean sweep of West Indies in the One-Day International series following their four-wicket victory in the final ODI at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Saturday.

This win gave the Tigers their 11th straight ODI win against the West Indies, and their third clean sweep against the Caribbeans.

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, the player of the match, set it up in the first innings, returning with career-best figures of 5-28 after skipper Tamim Iqbal opted to bowl first.

Despite a few hiccups in the middle, the Tigers were able to cross over the finish line, courtesy of Nurul Hasan Sohan and Mehidy Hasan, who guided Bangladesh home.

Sohan scored an unbeaten 32 off 38 deliveries, while Mehidy remained unbeaten on 16 off 35 balls.

Skipper Tamim Iqbal won the player of the series, his second time in the West Indies after winning it in 2018 too.

After being put in to bat, West Indies were strangled by the spin webs of the Tigers spinners early into the innings, with Taijul Islam picking up opener Brandon King with the first ball of his spell.

The Caribbeans were reduced to 16-3, but their skipper Nicholas Pooran stood firm at one end and stitched up a 67-run stand with Keacy Carty.

Pooran top-scored with 73 runs before being castled by Taijul, who impressed after making a comeback to the ODI side after 28 months.

Two other lefties, Nasum Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman, picked up two wickets each, while off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain picked up a solitary wicket.

West Indies were bundled out for 178, their highest score in the series.

In response, Bangladesh lost opener Najmul Hossain Shanto for one but skipper Tamim Iqbal and in-form batter Liton Das cruised to a 50-run partnership before the former went back for 34 runs after miscuing a sweep to deep fine-leg.

Liton pushed the scoring and reached his sixth ODI fifty, but succumbed to a soft dismissal off the bowling of left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie.

Motie delivered his side’s best bowling figures and stifled Bangladesh in the middle overs. He finished his full quota with figures of 4-23.

Mahmudullah Riyad fell for a sluggish 26 runs, chewing up 61 balls, and Afif Hossain went for nought, being castled in his second delivery.

Mosaddek, who scored 14 off 25 balls, tried to see his team through, but he too had a brain-fade moment when he tried to take on the long-off fielder off the bowling of Motie, who had two balls remaining in his ten.

Bangladesh were reduced to 6-147, but Nurul and Mehidy safeguarded the Tigers, with the former playing a proactive role in seeing his team through.

Sohan’s performance was applauded by Tamim and the skipper said it was positive for Bangladesh Cricket to have such performances from players who have come in.

“We are missing three players from the top five. So this was a great opportunity for these guys, and I think they have stepped up, especially players like Sohan. Whenever he got an opportunity, he was cool and calm, today was another example, and he batted well. I think this is something good happening for Bangladesh cricket,” he said in the post-match presentation.