Mashrafe 'not clear' about decision to recall Soumya, Imrul

Bangladesh ended their last ODI in 2018 in perfect fashion, winning the third game and the series against West Indies by a comprehensive eight-wicket margin and making Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's Bangladesh-record 70th match as captain an auspicious one yesterday.

The picturesque Sylhet International Stadium's inaugural ODI also produced a performance that would raise hopes of Bangladesh's shaky top order finally taking shape in the run-up to next summer's World Cup in England.

The Tigers' chase of a sub-par 199 -- set up by Mehedi Hasan Miraz's career-best figures of four for 29 -- on a good batting wicket was powered by a 131-run second-wicket stand between star opener Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar, promoted to number three in place of the dropped Imrul Kayes.

While Tamim scoring 81 off 104 is nothing surprising, Soumya's continuation of the good form he displayed with a ton in the third ODI against Zimbabwe in October is a promising sign that there may finally be some consistency to match Tamim's.

Soumya hit five sixes and as many fours in a blistering 81-ball 80 before being bowled by Keemo Paul with the score on 176 in the 36th over. Mushfiqur Rahim then came in and kept Tamim company as the left-hander hit a brace of boundaries to take Bangladesh home with 69 balls to spare.

It sealed a series by a 2-1 margin during which West Indies were generally outclassed by the hosts. The only exception to that was Shai Hope, who hit a match-winning century in the second game and hit another unbeaten ton, 108 off 131 balls, yesterday.

Liton Das and Tamim got the chase off to a rapid start as the dusktime dew started quickening up the wicket. Liton was batting fluently and hit five boundaries in the first 10 overs, but got himself out trying to hit a sixth one over the head of mid on against Keemo Paul and being caught for 23 in the first ball of the 11th over, ending a 45-run opening stand.

West Indies' chances took a major hit at the end of that over as pacer Kemar Roach limped off, clutching at his hamstring, and did not return for the rest of the match and has been ruled out of the following T20I series starting on December 17.

There was at least one boundary every over from the 13th till the 18th, off which Tamim hit a four and Soumya a six off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.

While Soumya took the odd risk, Tamim exemplified responsible batting. He hit five boundaries along the ground before his first lofted shot in the 24th over when he swept Bishoo for a four over short fine leg. That shot also brought up his 43rd ODI fifty off 62 deliveries. Soumya reached his seventh half-century with a single, also off his 62nd delivery, in the 30th over.

He then went on a rampage, hitting three sixes and two fours and racing past Tamim.

Earlier, West Indies' innings was the latest example of their lack of ability to bat in these conditions, with the obvious and shining exception of Hope. The opener has now batted for 99.4 overs across the last two matches without offering a single chance to the Bangladesh bowlers.

It was the off-spin of Mehedi that broke West Indian's backs. Mehedi started by dispatching opener Chanderpaul Hemraj, who was caught at backward point in the fourth over. Hope was batting untroubled at the other end.

It was all up to Hope, who attempted to wage another lone battle. He focused on getting the total as near 200 as possible. Keemo Paul and Kemar Roach -- both dismissed by Mashrafe in the 44th and 46th overs respectively -- kept Hope company as the batsman reached his fourth ODI hundred with a six off Shakib off his 121st delivery.

With arguably the two most important cricketers in Bangladesh – Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal – ruled out by the time they faced Pakistan in a do-or-die Asia Cup game on Wednesday, Bangladesh drew on wartime philosophy to emerge victorious against the odds.

"[Skipper] Mashrafe [Bin Mortaza] bhai told us one thing and we talked about one thing: when at war, you don't look back," said player-of-the-match Mushfiqur Rahim after the 37-run win over the two-time champions at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. "So if you think 'I am going to war and I will try to play it safe', that won't work. 

"Either kill or be killed -- one or the other. So that was a huge inspiration, because when you are at war you don't look at who your captain is, who's there or not there."

Mushfiqur was at the centre of the conflict, rescuing the side from the precarious position of 12 for three after Bangladesh won the toss and lifting them to 239 all out with a magnificent 99, becoming the first Bangladesh batsman to be out one short of a century in international cricket.

Bangladesh's highest run-scorer Tamim had already gone back to Dhaka on September 18 with a left-hand fracture sustained in the tournament's opening game against Sri Lanka. Shakib, meanwhile, was ruled out of the match because of a flare-up of a lingering finger injury picked up in January this year. He was subsequently sent home and will undergo surgery in either Melbourne or New York in the near future. 

But the calamitous setbacks only brought out the warriors in the Tigers.  

"You have to fight 100 per cent with what you have. So we thought that if we give our 100 per cent without thinking about the result, then, God willing, we will win as the best team. There will come a time when I won't be there -- no one is there forever. The five of us [seniors Mashrafe, Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah Riyad] will not be there at one point but even then you have to go on. So this was the talk and everyone was pumped up from there." 

Bangladesh will be looking to continue their fine run in their favoured fifty-over format this year when Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and his troop takes on a demoralised West Indies in the first of the three-match ODI series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today.

The day-night affair is set to start from 1:00 pm local time.

There is some good news for the Tigers as the experienced Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan will return to the ODI side following injuries sustained in September's Asia Cup.

Skipper Mashrafe will surely look to finish the last series of the year on a high after maintaining a winning percentage of 64.71 in ODIs, which is the third-best by any team in 2018.

The team management will be faced with a sweet dilemma in forming the playing eleven after magnificent performances from the top order in recent times.

It was learned that Liton Das was expected to open the innings alongside Tamim while Imrul Kayes, who was the highest run-scorer in the previous three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, would bat at number three.

The experienced Mushfiqur Rahim is set to bat at number four followed by Shakib and Mahmudullah Riyad.

It was also learned that Soumya Sarkar is expected to bat in the middle order, which means Mohammad Mithun may have to make way.

Mehedi Hasan Miraz will assist Shakib in the spin department while Mashrafe, who already hinted at playing three seamers in the line-up, will likely partner Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain.

West Indies on the other hand will be looking for a comeback after the whitewash in the Test series, especially as the Caribbean outfit have been unable to win an ODI series for four years -- since beating Bangladesh at home in 2014.

While the Mirpur pitch is expected to provide some assistance for seamers, it is also expected that it will offer runs.