Tigers at rest before WI test

Bangladesh got off to a brilliant start in the first ODI of their three-match series against West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Guyana today. 

Electing to bowl, the Tigers reduced the hosts to 45 for two after 17 overs in a game that has been reduced to 41-overs-a-side due to overnight rain in Guyana. 

The relentless showers in the past two days also meant that the spinners are getting a lot of assistance from the pitch. 

The first to strike for the Tigers, however, was Mustafizur Rahman as the left-arm pacer removed Shai Hope with his very first delivery in the game. A fuller length inswinging delivery had Hope undone as it got inside edge of the right-hander's willow before hitting his pads and crashing onto his stumps. 

Off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz was the next to dismiss Kyle Mayers when extra turn and bounce off the pitch saw Mayers completely miss his shot as the ball went onto hit the off stump. 

Bangladesh could have had Windies in further trouble. Debutant Nasum Ahmed saw a very controversial LBW review go against him while Mayers could have been dismissed earlier as he saw a Miraz delivery go between the keeper and first slip for a boundary after a thick edge off his bat. 

The Tigers have kept things tight so far, mostly with spinners operating from both ends. The fact that the Windies batters could only score a solitary run between overs six to nine should be enough to realise how hard it has been for the Windies batters out in the middle today. 

However, Shamarh Brooks seems to have settled himself down as he remains unbeaten on 28 off 54 deliveries.   
 

Bangladesh have won the toss and elected to bat first against West Indies in the third and final T20I at the Providence Stadium in Guyana today.

The game is scheduled to start at 2:00pm local time (12:00am Friday BST) -- an hour after the scheduled start of play. The toss was delayed due to wet outfield as it had been raining relentlessly since yesterday night in Guyana. However, the showers stopped a few hours ago. 

Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah Riyad informed during the toss that the Tigers have made one change to the squad from the one that played in Dominica in the second T20I. Pacer Taskin Ahmed, who leaked runs at a rate of 15.33 in the second T20I, makes way for specialist left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed. 

West Indies also made one change in their squad. They replaced Keemo Paul with Dominic Drakes.

The Providence Stadium in Guyana. Photo: Collected

With the first T20I washed out and Windies winning the second one comprehensively, Bangladesh would need to win today's game to level the three-match series, which is being considered as the first step in preparing for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. 

Playing XI: 

Bangladesh XI: Anamul Haque, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah (c), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mahedi Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed

West Indies XI: KR Mayers, BA King, SSJ Brooks, N Pooran (c) (wk), R Powell, D Drakes, OF Smith, R Shepherd, AJ Hosein, OC McCoy, HR Walsh

Mustafizur Rahman is one of Bangladesh cricket's chief assets in T20 cricket due to his vast experience in franchise cricket. The 35-run defeat against West Indies in the second of the three-match T20I series at Guyana has however raised questions regarding Fizz's performance. 

Mustafizur did not find a concrete response to the question of whether he will recapture the form which saw him shine in the 2016 edition of the IPL.

"After a year and a half of surgery, my performance was not good. But there is no end to learning. You can learn every day. I am also trying to improve and to be like other good bowlers in the world. I'm improving my fitness and trying to learn every way possible while taking the advice of the coaches," Fizz said on not being able to maintain peak form.

The left-arm fast bowler also explained why his bowling economy increases when bowling on pitches outside of Asia.

"The wickets in Asia are one of a kind, but the wickets outside Asia are very different. Outside Asia, wickets are better and truer. You will see in Asia that it is difficult to score 150 runs in T20. However, even two hundred runs outside Asia is not safe. That could be one of the reasons why my economy is increasing," he said while sharing his experience of working with pace bowling coach Alan Donald.

Kane Williamson led by example as the New Zealand captain’s 79 not out guided his side to a seven-wicket win over Afghanistan that maintained their 100 percent start to the World Cup on Saturday.

Williamson was New Zealand’s top scorer with a 99-ball innings containing nine fours after Jimmy Neesham took career-best one-day figures of 5-31 to dismiss Afghanistan for 172 at Taunton.

New Zealand’s third successive victory kept them on course to make the semifinals in the 10-team tournament, while minnows Afghanistan have lost all three of their match-es.

New Zealand, who saw off Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in their opening two games, have won 11 of their last 12 World Cup games, with their only defeat in that span com-ing against Australia in the 2015 final.

The Black Caps’ run chase got off to the worst possible start when Aftab Alam had Mar-tin Guptill caught off a thin inside edge with the first ball of the innings.

Guptill’s 14th ODI duck was a dream start for Aftab in the pace bowler’s first appear-ance in this year’s World Cup.

Afghanistan took the field without leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who was hit on the head when he was dismissed by Lockie Ferguson’s bouncer in the first innings.

But it was Aftab who was leading the Afghan attack to good effect and he removed Colin Munro to leave New Zealand on 41-2.

It was a nervous start from the Black Caps and Williamson had to survive a review of a caught behind appeal.

Afghanistan kept the pressure on and Williamson rode his luck again when he just made his ground to beat a run-out review.

Together with Ross Taylor, Williamson steadied the ship in a 89-run partnership for the third wicket.

Fittingly, it was Williamson who clinched the win with a routine single as New Zealand reached 173-3 in 32.1 overs.

SCORES IN BRIEF

Afghanistan: 172 all out in 41.1 overs (Zazai 34, Zadran 31, Shahidi 59; Ferguson 4-37, Neesham 5-31)

New Zealand: 173 for 3 in 32.1 overs (Williamson 79, Taylor 48; Alam 3-45)

Result: New Zealand won by 7 wickets.