Innings Bangladesh 301 for 6 (Tamim 103, Mahmudullah 67) v West Indies
Mahmudullah and Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who batted at No. 6 for the first time in more than 10 years, capitalised on Tamim Iqbal’s second hundred of the series as they took Bangladesh to a very competitive 301. West Indies conceded 96 runs in the last 10 overs, which could potentially be the difference between the two sides in the series-deciding game.
Mahmudullah and Mashrafe added 53 runs for the fifth wicket, and did so for the most in part the last 10 overs, a time in which Bangladesh has struggled in the previous two games. Mahmudullah was unbeaten on 67 off 49 balls with five fours and three sixes, while Mashrafe blasted four boundaries and a six in his 25-ball 36.
Tamim, who had made 130* and 54 in the first two ODIs, started with three fours in the first Powerplay – clipping through fine leg twice and punching through mid-off – before nearly giving a diving Shimron Hetmyer a catch at short midwicket in the 13th over. He then patted Keemo Paul over point and timed a sweep off Devendra Bishoo on his way to a fifty off 66 balls.
Tamim’s first six was a straight hit off Sheldon Cottrell, and he followed it up with two fours off Paul in the 31st over – blasted down the ground and timed through the empty deep square leg region. Tamim’s second six – a slog sweep off Bishoo — took him to 98 before he reached his century off 120 balls. Just before his dismissal, Tamim felt cramps, and then swept a catch to Kieran Powell at short fine-leg.
A big innings from Tamim became necessary after Anamul Haque’s third consecutive early dismissal. He made only 10, to take his tally to 33 in the ODI series, meaning that Bangladesh needed another Tamim-Shakib foundation.
The experienced pair provided an 81-run second wicket stand this time, pacing it better than last time. Shakib struck two straight drives and a pull in his 37 off 44 balls, but his dismissal was an unnecessary one. He hoicked Ashley Nurse’s tossed-up delivery straight down deep midwicket’s throat, just when he looked set for another big score.
Mushfiqur Rahim followed Shakib soon after, bowled off a Nurse half-tracker after he had added 36 runs in quick time with Tamim. Mahmudullah, having got a streaky boundary off his first ball, quickly got another four and a six soon after with a sweep and a hit down the ground.
Mashrafe promoting himself to No. 6 was an indictment of the level of confidence the Bangladesh team management had in Sabbir Rahman and Mosaddek Hossain. Mashrafe got going in the 42nd over when he struck Holder for three fours in a row, swatting twice past the bowler and hitting him inside-out through cover. He struck Holder for a well-timed six over long-on in his next over, before adding an edged four a little afterwards.
Mahmudullah at the other end struck two fours through third-man before his first six got him to his 19th ODI fifty. A second one came in the 49th over which cost Cottrell and West Indies 19 runs. Mosaddek got 11 out of the 12 runs in the last over, scampering three twos in a row to end the innings on a high for the visitors.
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