West Indies Brush Aside Bangladesh To Claim T20I Series Triumph
Skipper Nicholas Pooran leads by example with an explosive innings for second success on the bounce
Nicholas Pooran, the West Indies captain, guided his troops to a comfortable 35-run victory over Bangladesh to seal a 2-0 T20I series on home soil.
The Trinidadian finished on an unbeaten 74 with Bajan opener Kyle Mayers hitting 55 as the hosts stormed to victory at the Province Stadium in Guyana yesterday (7 July 2022).
With Windsor Park refurbished as international cricket returned to Dominica for the first time since 2017, Saturday’s 1st T20I became a disappointing washout with a set of showers that resulted in only 13 overs played.
The teams battled it out again at Windsor Park 24 hours later, with the West Indies blazing to a 35-run win to take the series lead. The difference was down to the economy of spinners, Trinidadian left-hander Akeal Hosein and leg breaks from Antiguan-American left Hayden Walsh Jr, who restricted the tourists to scoring just 22 runs off six overs from the midway point.
With Bangladesh still in with a shout of squaring the series, they staved off being bundled out for a battling total of 163-5 from their allotted 20 overs in the 3rd T20I.
Afif Hossain’s 50 and 49 from Liton Das frustrated the bowlers, with Hayden Walsh Jr’s figures of 2-25 making him the leading wicket taker.
In the successful run chase, all rounders Mayers and Pooran – who both bat left-handed but bowl with their right – proved too hot to handle inside the Guyana National Stadium.
Pooran arrived at the crease in the seventh over with the Windies having stuttered to 43-3. Following recent criticism in the media about his dubious choice of shots that resulted in low scores, Pooran soon silenced his critics with a cavalier attitude to put on a fourth-wicket stand of 85 from eight overs.
With Myers following his leader, by finding the boundary seven times in his 38-ball innings, he finally got over-zealous and was sent back to the pavilion by left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed in the 15th over.
Pooran found poise and placement to drum up his highly impressive innings off only 39 deliveries, as the Windies notched 169-5 with 10 deliveries to spare to secure the T20I series 2-0.
He beamed, after receiving both the Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards: “I definitely love Guyana and love performing here. I ask my players to trust me, even if they don’t always like me.”
All eyes will be on the next stage of the West Indies tour by minnows Bangladesh, with the three-match ODI series contested at the Province Stadium in Guyana.
Pooran’s power and new self-confidence on a pitch that he finds comfortable should safely guide the Windies to a clean-sweep of victories over Bangladesh having won the two Test matches before the T20I series success.
Bangladesh v WI series
1st T20I | Match abandoned
Bangladesh 105-8 (13 overs)
West Indies DNB
2nd T20I | West Indies won by 35 runs
West Indies 193-5 (20 overs)
Bangladesh 158-6 (20 overs)
3rd T20I | West Indies won by 5 wickets
Bangladesh 163-5 (20 overs)
West Indies 169-5 (18.2 overs)
1st ODI | 10 July (Province Stadium, Guyana)
2nd ODI | 13 July (Province Stadium, Guyana)
3rd ODI | 16 July (Province Stadium, Guyana)
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