Ireland Tri-Nation Series 2019, Match 2, Windies vs Bangladesh, Preview: High-flying Caribbeans desperate to continue momentum

Records tumbled all over the place with Windies openers John Campbell and Shai Hope running riot in Dublin against hosts Ireland as they registered a humongous 196-run win. The duo added 365 runs for the opening wicket, which happens to be the best for the first wicket in ODI history and also the second best for any wicket.

Apart from that, there were plenty of other records which were created the other night. For the first time in Windies cricket history, two openers scored a hundred in the same ODI and it was also the only occasion in the format that two batsmen scored more than 170. They really put up a fantastic performance, but the show is not over.

Bangladesh have done a decent job in the last couple of years and are desperate to replicate what they did in their previous two 50-over ICC tournaments. This perhaps is the strongest squad they event sent for a major tournament and they are hoping for this Tri-series to be a crucial part of their preparation for World championship.

Playing Combinations

Windies

After such a strong performance, no side would want to tinker with the playing XI. Their bowlers did a great job to ensure Ireland had no hopes in the game, especially Ashley Nurse and Shannon Gabriel towards the end. Batting responsibility once again relies heavily on the openers and Darren Bravo, with some untested men in the middle order like Roston Chase and Jonathan Carter.

Probable XI

John Campbell, Shai Hope (wk), Darren Bravo, Jason Holder (C), Roston Chase, Jonathan Carter, Sunil Ambris, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel

Bangladesh

Mashrafe Mortaza is back leading the lines for the Tigers and Shakib Al Hasan joins the side after playing just two games for the Sunrisers in IPL. It will be a toss-up between Mithun and Sarkar in the playing XI. Taskin Ahmed will be desperate to prove his fitness to the selectors and will be partnering with Mortaza and Rubel Hossain in the fast bowling department. They have three spinning options in Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib and Mahmudullah.

Probable XI

Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mohammad Mithun/Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed

Focus will be on

Darren Bravo (Windies)

A lot of people say Darren Bravo has a bit of Brian Lara in himself, especially the way he plays some shots. He clearly is a huge presence in the middle order this time in the World Cup and is keen to deliver a big performance. He didn’t get to bat for long in the first game, but that scenario won’t repeat itself many times. He will relish batting on these flat European tracks.

Taskin Ahmed (Bangladesh)

It has been a difficult week emotionally for Taskin Ahmed, who was snubbed a place in the World Cup squad as he was still recovering from an injury. The young fast bowler broke down into tears and also is keen to prove himself fit to make a last minute entry into the final 15. It will be a big miss for the side if he can’t make it and it’ll be interesting to see how things pan out in his case.

Head to Head

Matches – 34 | Bangladesh won – 11 | Windies won – 21 | No result – 2

Stat Attack

53 – Shai Hope is 53 short of 2,000 ODI runs.

Broadcast Details

Live Streaming – YouTube

Match Timings – 15:15 IST; 09:45 GMT; 10:45 Local Time

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