Bangladesh Whitewashes West Indies In T20 Series

West Indies had whitewashed Bangladesh in the ODI series, a defeat that Liton and Miraz struggled to take in stride. However, the Tigers bounced back in style, whitewashed the West Indies in the T20 series. This victory marked the end of Bangladesh's tour of the Caribbean.

On Friday (December 20), Bangladesh set a target of 190 runs for West Indies after batting first. The hosts were bowled out for just 109 runs in response, giving Bangladesh an 80-run victory. Zakir Ali top-scored for Bangladesh, remaining unbeaten on 72 off 41 balls.

West Indies’ chase got off to a rough start, with Bangladesh striking early. In the very first over, Taskin Ahmed provided the breakthrough, trapping Brandon King leg before on the second ball. Even after a review, King was dismissed. Taskin had taken King's wicket in all matches of the series.

After 0.5 overs, rain interrupted the game, but it was a brief delay, and play resumed about 20 minutes later. In the second over, Bangladesh turned to spin, and Shakib Al Hasan made an immediate impact. In his first over, Shakib dismissed Justin Greaves, who tried to hit a six over long-on, but was caught by substitute fielder Afif Hossain. At just 7 runs, West Indies had lost 2 wickets.

Nicholas Pooran and Johnson Charles attempted to rebuild, but Pooran fell to Shakib’s clever bowling. He missed a delivery that came in from outside off-stump, and was bowled for 15 runs off 10 balls.

Roston Chase, who came in at number five, also failed to score, getting out for a duck after just four balls, caught by Shakib off Hasan Mahmud's bowling. Charles was run out for 23 off 18 balls, leaving West Indies struggling at 50/5.

West Indies couldn’t recover from there. Rovman Powell and Gudakesh Motie also fell, with only Romario Shepherd offering some resistance. Shepherd’s 33 off 27 balls reduced the margin of defeat, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a loss.

For Bangladesh, the standout bowler was Rishad Hossain, who took 3 wickets for 21 runs. Taskin and Shakib each claimed 2 wickets, while Tanzeem Sakib and Hasan Mahmud took 1 wicket each.

Earlier, Bangladesh had made a flying start, thanks to an aggressive innings from Parvez Hossain Emon, who provided a strong partnership with Liton. Emon's attacking batting gave Bangladesh a solid foundation. Liton, who had been struggling, looked more confident, playing some beautiful shots, but was dismissed for just 14 runs. The opening partnership was broken at 44 runs.

After Liton's dismissal, Emon also didn’t last long. He was caught by Justin Greaves off Alzarri Joseph’s bowling after hitting 39 runs off 21 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes. Thanks to Emon's impressive innings, Bangladesh had reached 54/2 in the powerplay.

Tanzid Tamim, who came in at number three, showed promise but couldn’t build on his start, managing just 9 runs off 9 balls, including a six.

After losing 3 wickets for 65 runs, Bangladesh's recovery was led by Shakib Al Hasan Miraz and Zakir Ali. Initially, they played more conservatively, but as time passed, they began to accelerate. However, Miraz was dismissed for 29 runs off 23 balls as he tried to up the scoring rate.

Shamim Hossain, promoted in the batting order, had a poor day, dismissed for just 2 runs after being run out in a mix-up with Zakir. Shakib also followed suit and was run out.

With both Shakib and Shamim dismissed, the responsibility fell on Zakir's shoulders. He played a stellar role, finishing with 72 runs off 41 balls, including 3 fours and 6 sixes. Zakir was well supported by Tanzeem Sakib, who contributed 17 runs off 12 balls, including 1 four and 1 six.