Bangladesh caught in their own trap in the Super Over thriller

Sports Desk

Bangladesh wanted to give West Indies a hard time by playing on a low-quality black clay wicket. Despite winning the first match, West Indies were defeated by Bangladesh in the second match.

The Caribbean team leveled the three-match ODI series with a thrilling Super Over victory in the second match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Tuesday.

Bangladesh wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan Sohan dropped an easy catch from Khari Pierre on the last ball of the last over. The left-handed batsman took advantage of that opportunity to take a single run to level the match. As a result, Bangladesh reached the Super Over for the first time in their history in men’s international cricket. This was their 813th ODI match.

West Indies scored 10 runs in Mustafizur Rahman’s over in the Super Over. Shai Hope scored 7 not out in three balls, and Sharfen Rutherford added 3 runs in two balls. In reply, Bangladesh’s innings was stopped for 9 runs in Akil Hossain’s over – West Indies won by a narrow margin.

Bangladesh were unable to capitalise on two wides, a no-ball and a leg-bye in the Super Over. Soumya Sarkar scored three runs a ball, Saif Hasan scored two runs off three balls. Nazmul Hossain Shanto took a leg-bye despite not being able to touch the ball, and Saif failed to take the three runs required to win off the last ball.

Earlier, West Indies captain Shai Hope led the team’s innings with a 67-ball 53. Chasing a target of 213, five runs were needed in the last over. Saif Hasan gave two dots in the first two balls, then one run. Hope then changed the strike, as a result, number 10 batsman Akil Hossain (16 off 17 balls), who was playing in the first match of the tour, came on strike. But Saif bowled him off the next ball, as a result, three runs were needed in the last ball.

Pierre sent the last ball top-edge towards square leg. Sohan went forward to take the catch, but failed to catch it. Unable to return the ball quickly, Pierre and Hope were able to take two runs, which took the match to the Super Over.

This match also created a world record—for the first time in men’s ODI history, West Indies bowled a full 50 overs of spin. Earlier, Sri Lanka bowled 44 overs of spin against Australia in 2004. Bangladesh spinners also bowled 42 overs, resulting in a total of 92 overs of spin in the entire match—the most in ODI history.

Batting first, Bangladesh scored 213 for 7. Rishad Hossain stormed towards the end of the innings—39 not out off 14 balls, which included three sixes and three fours. Rishad, who came in at number 9 in the 47th over, put on an unbeaten 50-run partnership with Mehedi Hasan Miraz off 24 balls to take the team past 200. Mehedi scored 32 not out off 58 balls, while Sohan played an innings of 23 off 24 balls before being dismissed in the 46th over.

Bangladesh won the first ODI at the same venue by 74 runs. The third and final match of the series will be held on Thursday, in Mirpur.