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WI vs BAN 2024/25, West Indies vs Bangladesh 1st ODI, Basseterre Match Report, Dec 8, 2024

December 9, 2024

West Indies 295 for 5 (Rutherford 113, Hope 86, Greaves 41*) won Bangladesh 294 for 6 (Mehidy 74, Tanzid 60, Mahmadullah 50*, Shepherd 3-51) for five wickets

Sherfane Rutherford’s maiden ODI century helped the West Indies break their 11-match losing streak against Bangladesh with a five-wicket win in St Kitts. The home team chased down a target of 295 to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with Rutherford’s 113 off 80 balls completely nullifying a slow start to the chase. The West Indies, who at one stage needed 161 off 114 balls, reached their target with 14 balls remaining.

Rutherford, who took two hits on his helmet during his innings, reached his century when Bangladesh conceded six runs through bowling in the 47th over. He celebrated the milestone with six consecutive sixes off Soumya Sarkar, at long-off and mid-wicket. He then squeezed one to short third man where Nahid Rana completed a catch, but by then West Indies only needed seven more.

Rutherford hit seven fours and eight sixes as he went from 19 off 29 balls in the 32nd over to score 94 more runs in 51 balls. He now has five consecutive 50+ scores in ODIs, becoming the fourth West Indian after Gordon Greenidge, Chris Gayle and Shai Hope, who have six in a row each, to achieve this feat.

Rutherford added 99 runs for the fourth wicket with captain Hope contributing 86 balls for 88 after scoring 27 for 2. Rutherford and Justin Greaves then bowled 95 runs off just 57 balls for the fifth wicket. Greaves scored the winning runs and finished unbeaten on 41 off 31 balls with five fours.

West Indies were in trouble for much of the first half of their chase. They lost Brandon King and Evin Lewis in the first powerplay and were unable to cope with Bangladesh’s fast bowling trio. Tanzim Hasan Sakib caught King lbw for 9 for 17 when he tried to bowl one that wasn’t short enough, and Nahid Rana hit Lewis’ back pad in front of the stumps with a 148.9 km/h delivery in the next over. Hope and Keacy Carty to establish themselves.

They added 67 runs in the next 13.3 overs for the third wicket, with Carty cautiously scoring 21 off 37 balls. Rishad Hossain’s short ball caught him at short medium in a disappointing dismissal for the in-form West Indies batsman.

The home team slowed significantly during this third-wicket partnership, and the required rate reached eight an over with 21 overs remaining in the chase. That’s when Hope bowled his counterpart Mehidy Hasan Miraz for six. He broke a 28-ball no-limit spell.

That knock opened the floodgates as Rutherford hit Mehidy for four and six in the 32nd over, before driving Taskin for a boundary in the 33rd over. Hope bowled Rishad for six in consecutive overs, and Rutherford, upset by the short ball until this point, he pulled Rana for a six at mid-on. He reached his fifty in the 36th over.

Mehidy then gave Bangladesh a lifeline when he trapped Hope at deep mid-wicket, but the 99-run fourth-wicket stand had already given the West Indies the much-needed boost. Greaves then hit three fours in as many overs and made sure to keep the momentum going.

Rutherford then upped the ante when he pulled Tanzim for his third six, followed by his fourth in the next over over Mehidy. Rutherford reached his highest ODI score in the 43rd over, hitting twin sixes off Taskin. When Greaves got Tanzim through the covers in the next over, West Indies’ required pace was reduced to one run a ball, with only 37 needed.

Bangladesh’s innings also revolved around three important partnerships. They got off to a fast start before Soumya Sarkar fell in the fifth over. Soumya, newly crowned GSL Player of the Tournament, hit Alzarri Joseph for consecutive fours before falling behind later in the same over. Litton Das followed shortly after, becoming trapped behind Romario Shepherd.

Tanzid Hasan, however, had already hit a six in a row and three fours. He added 79 runs for third-wicket captain Mehidy, who survived two chances, and was bowled by Carty at 1 and 31. Mehidy took advantage of his luck and top-scored with 74. Tanzid looked by far the most confident of the two, hitting two more sixes. long term and find boundaries around the wicket.

Tanzid, however, fell against the run of play in the 24th minute when Alzarri Joseph caught him at the point. He shot a run-a-ball 60 and left disappointed at missing out on a higher score. Meanwhile, Mehidy continued to rotate the strike with the return of Afif Hossain. The fourth-wicket pair added 54 before Shepherd trapped Afif at the leg-side boundary.

Mehidy eventually scored 74 off 101 balls, hitting six fours and a magnificent six hit over fine leg by Jayden Seales. He fell to the same bowler in the 38th over, flying towards extra cover where Rutherford took a catch.

Mehidy had laid the perfect foundation for Jaker Ali and Mahmudullah, who added 96 runs for the sixth wicket, 84 of which came in the last ten overs. Mahmudullah smashed three sixes on the leg side, and as many fours, in his unbeaten 50 off 44 balls.

Jaker also hit three sixes, one of them when Joseph landed outside the stadium premises. He made 48 off 40 balls, falling on the penultimate ball of the innings to Shepherd, who finished with three wickets. Jaker and Mahmudullah scored their six sixes in the last 6.3 overs of Bangladesh’s innings.

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo correspondent in Bangladesh. @isam84

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