Bangladesh vs Windies, 2nd T20I, Preview- Wounded Tigers eager for a better show in Dhaka

Shakib's men were annihilated by the visitors in Sylhet.

Published - 19 Dec 2018, 15:41 IST | Updated - 19 Dec 2018, 15:41 IST

3 Min Read

After dominating the Windies in the Test and ODI series, Bangladesh eventually slumped to their maiden defeat on the tour when Carlos Brathwaite and Co thumped them by eight wickets in the opening T20I at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The Tigers could only score 129 courtesy of Shakib Al Hasan’s gutsy knock of 61 from 43 balls, but couldn’t pose any threat to the visiting team by any means.

Their bowlers also couldn’t put a lid on the rampaging Windies’ batsmen as runs kept flowing at the rate of knots, much to their disappointment. Such was the visitors’ domination that they won with a substantial 53 deliveries to spare. The Caribbean team, on the contrary, was in with a mission and made their intentions clear, first with the ball and with the performance with the willow in hand.

Shai Hope continued to be a thorn in Bangladesh’s flesh, this time with a 16-ball half-century, the third fastest in T20I cricket. The second match is scheduled to be played tomorrow at the Sher-E-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka and the hosts are in with a do-or-die situation. At this very venue, Bangladesh have lost two out of the three T20Is they have played against the Windies.

Team Combination

Bangladesh

The home team may rope in left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam Apu in place of Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who conceded runs at an economy of over 18. The rest of the team is expected to remain changed, but the Tigers’ batsmen need to step up and give their bowlers a decent target to bowl at. The team would also be looking up to their experienced campaigners for helping the team make a comeback.

Probable XI

Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (C), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Ariful Haque, Mohammad Saifuddin, Nazmul Islam, Abu Hider Rony, Mustafizur Rahman

Windies

The visiting team won’t want to make any changes to their winning combination. Evin Lewis and Shai Hope looked ominous the other day. Pooran and Paul also looked at their very best. Shimron Hetmyer, Darren Bravo, Rovman Powell, skipper Brathwaite, and Fabian Allen are the other batsmen. Allen and Brathwaite need to perform with the ball. The onus will also be on Thomas and Cottrell.

Probable XI

Evin Lewis, Shai Hope (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Darren Bravo, Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite (C), Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Keemo Paul, Oshane Thomas

Focus will be on

Tamim Iqbal- Bangladesh

The veteran did exceptionally in the ODI series after returning from injury, but couldn’t score in the first match. A short-pitched delivery from Sheldon Cottrell accounted for his wicket as he was late on the pull. Going into the second encounter, Bangladesh won’t want their stalwart to flounder as that could land them in deep water as far as staying alive in the three-match T20I series is concerned.

Shai Hope- Windies

Hope, following the incredible ODI series, turned out to be a tough nut to crack even in the T20 format, although he doesn’t have overwhelming numbers in the format. With the incredible knock in Sylhet, Hope showed that he is a versatile batsman and can change gears as per the requirement of the team. He would want another substantial score under his belt to guide the Windies to a series victory.