CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh, (CMC) – A blistering, unbroken 83-run partnership between captain Shai Hope and Rovman Powell, along with a decent bowling performance, helped to power the West Indies to a 16-run victory over Bangladesh in a pulsating first T20I here on Monday.
The late onslaught, which saw the visitors plunder 51 runs from the final three overs, completely shifted the momentum of the game and ultimately proved the difference, as the visitors posted 165-3 and then restricted the host to 149.
For much of their innings, the West Indies, who won the toss, were stifled by a disciplined Bangladeshi bowling attack, led by the miserly left-arm spin of Nasum Ahmed, who conceded just 15 runs from his four overs.
After openers Brandon King with 33 and Alick Athanaze with 34 provided a steady start, the innings stalled in the middle overs with the quick dismissals of openers and Sherfane Rutherford, who continues to find the going tough after scoring a first-ball duck.
At 82 for 3 in the 13th over, the West Indies were struggling to post a competitive total. However, Hope and Powell, playing in his 100th T20I, chose the perfect moment to explode.
Hope, who finished unbeaten on 46 from 28 balls, began the fightback by taking down leg-spinner Rishad Hossain for two sixes.
But it was Powell who provided the final, devastating flourish. After finally finding the middle of his bat with a 102-metre six off Mustafizur Rahman, he unleashed hell on Tanzim Hasan Sakib in the final over, smashing three consecutive sixes to finish on 44 not out from 28 deliveries.
For Player of the Match Powell, the innings was well needed, and he was pleased he could have done it in his 100th match.
“At the end of the innings, I was really pleased. It was difficult for me to start on the wicket; at one point, I was about 7 off 20 deliveries. But I just kept believing that if I could get a good shot, a good boundary, I would turn it around. We just needed to go as deep as possible.”
Chasing 166, Bangladesh’s reply was immediately derailed by a catastrophic power play, which left them in a spot of bother.
After Jayden Seales took care of opener Tanzid Hassan for 15, Akeal Hosein then removed captain Litton Das for 5 and Saif Hassan for 8, within his first couple of overs.
When Jason Holder clipped Shamim Hossain’s off-bail in the fifth over, the hosts were in tatters at 42 for 4.
The slide continued as the middle order failed to build any substantial partnerships. Wickets fell at regular intervals to Holder 3-33 and the impressive Seales 3-31, reducing Bangladesh to 117 for 7.
A late flurry from tailender Tanzim Hasan, 33 and Nasum Ahmed, 20, provided a flicker of hope, but Holder’s dismissal of Tanzim in the 16th over effectively sealed the game.
The innings concluded bizarrely when Taskin Ahmed, after hitting a six, was dismissed hit-wicket in the final over, summing up a frustrating day for the hosts.
The victory gives the West Indies a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with the second T20I set to be played at the same venue on Wednesday.