West Indies Clinch ODI Series After Back-to-Back Wins Over Bangladesh in St. Kitts

Bangladesh suffered consecutive defeats to West Indies in the first two ODIs at Warner Park, St. Kitts, allowing the hosts to seal the series victory with one match remaining. In a must-win game for Bangladesh to stay in the series, their batsmen faltered and were only able to put up a total of 227 runs. West Indies, chasing the modest target, got off to a strong start, with the openers putting on nearly half of the required runs. Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford then guided them to an easy victory.

After a 5-wicket win in the first ODI, West Indies took a 2-0 lead in the series with another dominant performance in the second match. Bangladesh, after suffering 11 consecutive ODI losses against West Indies, finally found themselves on the losing side of two back-to-back ODIs in this series. The third and final match will be played at the same venue, Warner Park, on Thursday.

West Indies' Chase and Bangladesh's Struggles

In pursuit of 228 runs, West Indies got off to a solid start. Bangladesh only managed to claim their first wicket in the 21st over when Rishad Hossain bowled a short delivery, which was caught by him off the bat of Evin Lewis for 49 runs, just 1 run short of a half-century. This brought an end to the 109-run opening partnership.

With a comfortable foundation, West Indies continued to build on their lead. Brandon King, alongside Casey Carty, added another 66 runs. King, who had been playing some brilliant strokes, reached 50 runs off 52 balls before being dismissed by Nahid Rana, who bowled a fine delivery to clean him up. This brought the second wicket for Bangladesh at 175 runs. King’s 82 runs came off 76 balls, with 8 fours and 3 sixes.

Carty, who was on 40 runs, got another life when Soumya Sarkar dropped him, but Afif Hossain Dhruv made up for the missed chance by getting the wicket on the very next ball. Carty was caught by Rana at 45 runs, leaving Bangladesh with just two wickets in hand at 187/4.

Bangladesh’s Dismal Batting Performance

In the first innings, Bangladesh had failed to put up a strong total. Their batting collapse left them struggling at 115/7 in the 25.3 over. Despite a solid 8th-wicket partnership between Mahmudullah and Tanzim Sakib, who added 92 runs, they were ultimately bowled out for 227 runs in 45.5 overs.

After the early dismissal of the openers and top-order batsmen, Mahmudullah and Sakib's partnership was the only bright spot for Bangladesh. Sakib contributed 45 runs from 62 balls, while Mahmudullah scored 62 runs. Their stand, however, could not prevent another loss for the visitors.

Conclusion

West Indies' win in the second ODI was marked by solid contributions from their openers and middle-order, which saw them comfortably chase down the target with more than 6 overs to spare. With the series already decided, Bangladesh will now look to salvage some pride in the third and final ODI.