December 11, 2024: West Indies delivered a commanding performance to seal a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second ODI, taking a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The match, held at Warner Park in Basseterre, was a display of strong all-round performance from the West Indies, with key contributions from both their bowlers and batters.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, West Indies put the pressure on Bangladesh early with disciplined bowling. The visitors struggled to build partnerships, with Tanzid Hasan being the standout performer at the top of the order. His aggressive knock of 46 runs from 33 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes, was the only real spark in the early stages of Bangladesh’s innings.
In the middle order, Mahmudullah (62 runs from 92 balls) and Tanzim Hasan Sakib (45 runs from 62 balls) played steady knocks to bring Bangladesh to a total of 227, which was a challenging but achievable target. Despite these efforts, the Bangladesh batting line-up was unable to get past the West Indies bowling attack, particularly Jayden Seales, who bagged an impressive 4-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 4/22. Gudakesh Motie supported him well with two wickets, while Marquino Mindley, Romario Shepherd, Justin Greaves, and Roston Chase each took one wicket.
In reply, West Indies’ openers Brandon King and Evin Lewis made light work of the chase. Their 109-run partnership laid the foundation for the Caribbeans’ victory, with King playing a blistering knock of 82 runs from 76 balls, which included 8 fours and 3 sixes. Lewis also played a solid hand with 49 runs off 62 balls. Although Rishad Hossain broke the opening stand by dismissing Lewis, West Indies were well on their way to victory.
Keacy Carty (45 runs from 47 balls) and King continued to pile on the runs in a 66-run partnership, further tightening the hosts’ grip on the game. The eventual removal of King by Nahid Rana in the 29th over was inconsequential, as the West Indies were already in a commanding position.
Captain Shai Hope (17 runs from 21 balls) and Sherfane Rutherford (24 runs from 15 balls) then ensured the job was finished with 79 balls to spare. The West Indies clinched the series with this dominant performance, finishing at 230/3.
Bangladesh’s bowling attack had little to celebrate, as none of the bowlers were able to put sustained pressure on the West Indies top order. Nahid Rana, Rishad Hossain, and Afif Hossain were the only wicket-takers for Bangladesh, but they failed to stem the flow of runs as West Indies comfortably chased down the target.
Jayden Seales was deservedly named Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling performance, taking 4 wickets for just 22 runs. His fiery spell was the turning point of the match, dismantling Bangladesh’s batting line-up and putting West Indies on the path to victory.
With a 2-0 lead, West Indies will look to complete a clean sweep in the third and final ODI, while Bangladesh will aim to bounce back and avoid a series loss.
