Bangladesh, Windies set for one final tilt

Overview
Windies v Bangladesh
Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill
3rd T20I
Sunday, 5 August, 00:00 GMT (+1d), 20:00 Local

On Saturday, Bangladesh clinched a see-sawing match by 12 runs to level the series – the Windies’ seven-wicket victory in the first T20I had given the impression they were favourites to win it, but Bangladesh showed superb fight in the second clash.

That said, the 171/5 they put up wasn’t quite daunting, especially for a Windies side comprising big-hitters aplenty. Had it not been for Tamim Iqbal (74 off 44) and Shakib Al Hasan (60 off 38), Bangladesh might not even have managed that.

But credit to their bowlers, who ensured the Windies batsmen were kept at bay. Mustafizur Rahman was once again in the thick of things, returning 3/50, while Nazmul Islam, the left-arm spinner, picked up wickets in the death to apply the brakes on the chase.

Their captain, Shakib, credited their revival to ‘belief’ in the camp. “After the loss in St Kitts, we had a very good chat. We agreed that we can still win against the Windies although they are a very good side,” said Shakib. “We need to play our best game and we had that belief. That is the mindset that changed the momentum.”

The momentum is now with Bangladesh. The Windies, despite being in with a chance till the end, made far too many mistakes in front of a sizeable crowd at Lauderhill, a lot of whom were cheering for Bangladesh.

Carlos Brathwaite, their captain, admitted far too many lapses in the field had cost the side, and said it was imperative they put in a more error-free performance in the final T20I. “We were casual in the field and that is where the game turned. There were too many lapses in the field and Bangladesh came out trumps,” he said.

“I still have full confidence in bouncing back. Casual fielding cost us, we could have improved our attitude a bit. Some days, you have bad days with the bat, but we shouldn't have been chasing down those many. As long as the attitude is the same as the first game, we'll be confident of winning.”

Both sides are confident of a win now, and that should make the series finale a great contest.

Key players
Andre Russell (Windies): The big-hitting all-rounder didn’t quite hit the straps in the second T20I, and that was one of the big reasons Bangladesh secured victory. Russell returned an average 1/33, and then, in a tricky chase, managed just a 10-ball 17. Bangladesh will hope to keep him quiet once again, and how successful they are in doing that will determine the fate of the series.

Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh): There is no overstating the importance of the Bangladesh captain to this side. His side faced the risk of imploding when he came in, and his 38-ball 60 propelled them to a defendable total. Then, he did his bit with the ball as well, returning a brilliant 2/19. He is imperative to Bangladesh’s hopes on Sunday.

ConditionsRain is forecast in Lauderhill on Sunday as well. The clouds were clear for the second T20I, though, and one can realistically hope it to be so again in the final match.

Squads
Windies: Carlos Brathwaite (c), Samuel Badree, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Fletcher, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Nazmul Islam Apu, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider, Abu Jayed, Ariful Haque