Bangladesh took an early lead in the ODI series by winning the first match. Although they lost the second match in a Super Over thriller, they dominated the third ODI to secure a commanding 179-run victory over West Indies. This win gave Bangladesh the series 2-1 on home soil.
At Mirpur, Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat first, putting up a total of 296 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 50 overs. Soumya Sarkar was the top scorer with 91 runs, while Saif Hasan also made a strong contribution with 80 runs. In response, West Indies struggled and were bowled out for just 117 runs in 30.1 overs.
From the start, Bangladesh employed spin bowling from both ends to put pressure on the opposition. The West Indies openers batted cautiously with the big target in mind but the breakthrough came in the fifth over when Nasum Ahmed trapped Alik Athanaze lbw.
Nasum then picked up two more quick wickets, dismissing Akim Auguste and Brendon King cheaply. King was bowled for 18 runs off 17 balls.
Shai Hope, the key middle-order batsman for West Indies who had single-handedly won the previous match, was dismissed cheaply by Tanvir Islam for just 4 runs from 16 balls. Sherfane Rutherford also fell cheaply, caught by Mehidy Miraz off Rishad Hossain after scoring 12 runs.
West Indies’ batting collapsed early and they could not recover. In the later stages, Justin Greaves and Akil Hossain tried to add some resistance. Akil, batting at number 10, top-scored with 27 runs.
Nasum Ahmed and Rishad Hossain took three wickets each, while Mehidy Miraz and Tanvir Islam grabbed two wickets apiece.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s openers gave a strong start, with Saif Hasan hitting two fours in the first over and Soumya Sarkar aggressively joining in. The opening partnership reached 50 runs in just 46 balls. With no success from spin bowling, West Indies captain Shai Hope gave the ball to pacer Justin Greaves in the 10th over, but he could not make an impact.
Soumya Sarkar reached his fifty off 48 balls, marking his 14th ODI fifty and sixth against West Indies. Saif Hasan also notched his first ODI fifty off 44 balls.
Both openers looked set for centuries and played with confidence. But Bangladesh lost Saif Hasan at 176 runs, caught at long-on by Justin Greaves while attempting a six off Royston Chase. Saif scored 80 runs off 72 balls, including 6 sixes.
Soumya Sarkar fell shortly after, caught for 91 runs off 86 balls.
After the loss of the openers, Bangladesh’s run rate slowed down as Taohid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto played cautiously, which put pressure on the team. Taohid scored 28 runs off 44 balls before getting out trying to relieve the pressure with big shots. Shanto scored 44 runs off 55 balls before getting out just before reaching fifty.
Middle-order batsmen Mahidul Islam Ankon, Rishad Hossain, and Nasum Ahmed failed to contribute much. Rishad, promoted to number six following his good form in the previous two matches, managed only 3 runs off 6 balls.
At the end, Nurul Hasan provided a good finish with 16 not out off 8 balls. Mehidy Miraz also contributed quick 17 runs off 17 balls.