West Indies 325 for 6 (Jangoo 104*, Carty 95, Rishad 2-69) won Bangladesh 321 for 5 (Mahmudullah 84*, Mehidy 77, Soumya 73, Jaker 62*, Joseph 2-43) for four wickets
Brandan King continued where he left off in the second ODI, when he hit two fours and a six off Nasum Ahmed in the second over of the innings. His innings was cut short in the same over after a mix-up with opening partner Alick Athanaze over a non-existent run. Athanaze himself did not last long and was bowled in an attempted sweep in Nasum’s next over.
Carty stood his ground at the other end, having already hit two fours. Afif dropped him on 22 before Carty chased down the Bangladesh spinners in the middle. He hit Rishad Hossain for four in a row in the 18th over, before hitting Mehidy Hasan Miraz for six and four in the 21st over. Jangoo hit Nasum for three fours in a short span before bowling Afif for his first six.
It was in the 34th minute when Bangladesh, perhaps, really let the game slip away. Jangoo had missed one off Rishad, only to see substitute fielder Parvez Hossain Emon miss the chance while running from mid-on. Rishad dismissed Carty off the next ball, and Soumya caught him low at point. He also made an impressive one-handed catch to dismiss Roston Chase, but Jangoo’s miss came back to haunt them.
Immediately after Chase’s dismissal, Jangoo hit Mehidy for his second six, before Motie and Jangoo hit Mahmud for six each in the 43rd over. They hit a four each off Taskin’s next delivery, before the pair completed the chase.
The day could have been Bangladesh’s given their batting. After a disastrous start, losing Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das in the third over to be reduced to 9 for 2, Soumya and Mehidy resurrected the innings with a 136-run third-wicket partnership. Alzarri Joseph pressured Tanzid with a rebound that the left-hander finished with a drag shot. Litton’s horror streak in ODIs continued when he edged King at first slip.
Mehidy looked positive from the start, hitting five boundaries in the powerplay. Soumya, who was left with nothing, opened up after the power play. He played the top cut against Romario Shepherd for six, before bowling Chase and Motie for six each in consecutive overs.
Soon after Soumya fell for the second time, on 45 by Jangoo, Mehidy hit debutant Jediah Blades for four for six. Soumya added a four to take 16 runs off the over, before hitting two more fours in the next over. Soumya was on a roll when he hit Motie for his fourth six, but fell off the next ball when the left-arm spinner caught him in front. Soumya’s 73 came in one run, including six fours and four sixes.
Six overs after Soumya’s dismissal, Rutherford’s precise delivery from point found Mehidy short at the striker’s end as he fell for 77 off 73 balls. Rutherford then trapped Afif Hossain at the mid-wicket boundary for 15, as Bangladesh again lost two wickets in quick succession.
But the last 20 overs belonged to Jaker and Mahmudullah. The pair had already scored 96 runs in the first ODI, but this time they did much better. After Jaker hit his first two fours, Mahmudullah slammed Motie to the ground for his first six, before hitting Chase for his second, too long.
Jaker joined the six, when he hit Shepherd over cover, followed by Mahmudullah dragging Rutherford outside off for a six over square leg. Bangladesh scored 59 runs in the last four overs, taking them to a solid total. In the end it wasn’t enough.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo correspondent in Bangladesh. @isam84
