West Indies left surprised not to see Rishad in the Super Over

It was a thriller at Mirpur’s turning track, but in the end, luck favoured the West Indies. After the match ended in a tie in the regulation 50 overs, the visitors clinched victory in the Super Over. However, the biggest talking point after the match wasn’t just the result — it was Bangladesh’s decision to leave out young leg-spinner Rishad Hossain from the Super Over lineup.

Rishad, who had earlier stunned the Caribbean attack with a blistering 39 off just 14 balls*, wasn’t sent to bat when Bangladesh needed quick runs in the Super Over. Instead, Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, and Najmul Hossain Shanto took the field, while Rishad remained in the dugout — a decision that even surprised West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein.

In the post-match press conference, Akeal admitted his astonishmen, “Yeah, I was a bit surprised. The guy who destroyed us — unbeaten on 39 off 14 balls — didn’t come out to bat in the Super Over. He had the shorter side to target, the same one where he hit me for two sixes. We were all surprised that he didn’t come out.”

According to Akeal, Bangladesh’s decision to omit Rishad turned out to be a blessing for the visitors, “In the end, it worked in our favour. Rishad was the only one among them with both power and reach — he’s tall too. But they didn’t send him, so we were relieved.”

Akeal also gave an honest assessment of the Mirpur surface, “To be fair, this wicket really helps the spinners, but it’s not easy. The margin for error is very small. If you turn it too much, it drifts away from the bat or stumps; if you bowl short, batters can cut or pull easily.”

He concluded with a note on competitive cricketing spirit, “At the end of the day, we all just want to see good, competitive cricket. I’m a bowler, but also a batter — so I just want to be part of good cricket.”