ICC World Cup 2019: Match 23, Windies vs Bangladesh, Review – Shakib fires a ton; Tigers thump West Indies yet again

If it happens once, we can call it an upset, if it happens again, we can rate it as fortuitous but Bangladesh defeating West Indies for the fourth time in succession is no ordinary tale of an upcoming nation, it is the hallmark of a side that announces itself relevant among the best in the world very proudly.

Top quality all-rounders always end up having a major say in big tournaments like this and Shakib Al Hasan is carrying the burden of a nation beautifully. His hundred in a tricky run chase was eventually enough for Bangladesh to collect another massive two points, but they’re still far behind the top four.

Batting first, Windies lost Chris Gayle for an uncharacteristic 13-ball duck. Out of form Evin Lewis stepped up for the Windies alongside the in-form Shai Hope to save the day. Lewis was finally hitting the ball sweetly and chipped in with some handy boundaries. He completed his half-century in the 23rd over and it seemed like the Windies were up for a big total.

But he was dismissed soon by none other than Shakib. Nicholas Pooran after him got a start but once again, the legend of Bangladesh cricket was there to provide the breakthrough. Shai Hope silently completed his half-century at the other end and Shimron Hetmyer provided the spark which was necessary for their innings to move forward.

He registered a sensational 25-ball half-century but got out the next ball after getting to the landmark. Jason Holder too chipped in with a 15-ball 33, shortly before Shai Hope was agonizingly dismissed on 96. Despite a decent bowling effort, Bangladesh couldn’t prevent Windies from registering 321 runs for the loss of eight wickets, which on any day would’ve been a match-winning total.

Liton and Shakib step up with the willow

One of the major concerns for Bangladesh was the form of Tamim Iqbal, but the talismanic opener finally played some free-flowing cricket on Monday. It wasn’t a huge inning from the southpaw, but the way he dictated terms in the few overs he played was morale-boosting for the men and women supporting the Asian side.

He and Soumya Sarkar added 52 runs for the first wicket before Tamim stitched another brilliant partnership with the man of the hour, Shakib Al Hasan. He continued his golden touch from the previous game and added 69 runs for the second wicket with Tamim before the latter was dismissed just two short of a fifty.

Mushfiqur Rahim too walked back soon, which put Bangladesh in real trouble at 133/3. Just when people thought the Tigers would buckle down to pressure, Liton Das provided a brilliant hand to Shakib and the duo just piled upon the misery for the Windies. They batted beautifully against their fast bowlers and once they got set, they made scoring look very easy.

After Shakib Al Hasan got to his second consecutive hundred, Liton Das too followed the path and completed a fifty. Both players reached the fifth gear after that and helped Bangladesh said through very easily in the end. The duo’s partnership came at a scoring rate nearly touching the nine mark, which reflects how brutally they finished the game.

Brief Scores

Windies: 321/8 in 50 overs (Shai Hope 96, Evin Lewis 70, Shimron Hetmyer 50; Mustafizur Rahman 3/59, Mohammad Saifuddin 3/72)

Bangladesh: 322/3 in 41.3 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 124*, Liton Das 94*, Tamim Iqbal 48)

Result: Bangladesh won by 7 wickets

Man of the match: Shakib Al Hasan