Bangladesh aim to secure finals spot

Overview

Bangladesh v West Indies
5th ODI, Ireland tri-nation series
The Village, Malahide, Dublin
Monday, 13 May; 10:45am local, 09:45am GMT

Bangladesh were brilliant in their first game of the series, shining in all departments to defeat West Indies by eight wickets. After the victory, and the subsequent washout against hosts Ireland, they're well-placed on the points table, and a win will secure them a place in the final alongside West Indies.

Bangladesh's senior quartet, comprising Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza and Mushfiqur Rahim, did very well collectively in that victory over West Indies. If Bangladesh are to do well at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, it is absolutely essential that these stalwarts stay in good touch.

Bangladesh will also be pleased with members outside that core unit doing well - Soumya Sarkar made a fluent 73 in that match, while Mohammad Saifuddin and Mustafizur Rahman shared four wickets between them.

For Windies, the challenge will be for their batsmen to keep up the same level of performance, but against a more potent attack. Shai Hope, Sunil Ambris and John Campbell have all scored centuries in the series, but only Hope looked the part against Bangladesh, scoring a valiant 109 as the rest of the order faltered.

Same with the bowlers, who bundled out Ireland for 185 in the series opener, but have since picked up just seven wickets across two matches. Shannon Gabriel sparkled in the last game against Ireland, taking 2/47 in ten overs, even as Windies collectively conceded 327/5. They need more such performances.

Key players

Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh): Not only does he often lay a solid foundation, but he is also capable of accelerating when required. He did a bit of both in the first match against Windies, starting cautiously before working up a nice flow en route to 80 runs. If Windies get him out early, they can put Bangladesh on the backfoot early.

Shannon Gabriel (West Indies): Though he was brought into the side to perform an enforcer's role in the middle overs, it shouldn't be forgotten that Gabriel can give batsmen a good working over with the new ball as well. He has picked up three of the seven wickets that Windies have taken in the last two games. Gabriel can trouble batsmen with steep bounce, and West Indies might even consider giving him the new ball to change things up.

Conditions

The weather is expected to be cool, with little to no cloud cover expected for the most part. Chances of rain are refreshingly slim. The pitch has been a good one for batting, but accurate seam bowling can bring rewards too.

Squads

West Indies: Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Sunil Ambris, Darren Bravo, John Campbell, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Ashley Nurse, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach

Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Liton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Jayed Rahi, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali, Nayeem Hasan