Preview: 3rd Test, 05 Dec 2012 by Asher Wilson

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Scorecard:	Bangladesh v West Indies
Event:	West Indies in Bangladesh 2012/13

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DateLine: 5th December 2012

 

Bangladesh v West Indies
3rd ODI
Match Preview

 

After two resounding losses on the trot, West Indies will be hoping to save themselves from another slump when they entertain Bangladesh in the 3rd ODI match, which will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, today, December 05, 2012.

 

By all means, the One Day series has been a disappointment for the West Indies, who simply could not rise to the occasion. No offense to their opponents, but a battle against Bangladesh by all means is not tough as compared with Australia or England, and it was baffling to see them still not learning from their mistake.

 

In last match Bangladeshi batsmen laid the foundation posting 292 on the board. They lost two early wickets but then Rahim and Anamul Haque stitched together a brilliant 174-run stand. Anamul reached his maiden century and a late surge from Mortaza powered them to a decent total. Chasing the target, the visitors lost Simmons early, Gayle looked dangerous but couldn’t carry on. Bravo was the only batsman who looked good out in the middle but he too could manage just 28 as the visitors faltered against the disciplined spin bowling. Gazi again impressed with figures of 3/21, while Razzak finished with 3/19. The West Indies batsmen never gained momentum throughout the innings and succumbed under pressure. This was the Bangladesh’s biggest victory in ODIs and West Indies’ third biggest loss in ODIs and their biggest against Bangladesh.

 

West Indies were World Twenty20 winners a few months ago and have won four Tests in a row for the first time since 1993, their reputation as a growing powerhouse in International cricket could take a beating if they don’t win the third game. The visitors have a selection concern, mainly because their one-day specialists have underperformed. Kieran Powell could replace Lendl Simmons at the top, and it will be interesting to see whether they persist with Dwayne Smith. Narine’s position is also under threat, with Veerasammy Permaul’s left-arm spin offering more control.

 

To add to the tourists' woes, they were unable to train on Tuesday due to a general strike in Dhaka which kept the players indoors because of possible unrest.

 

For Bangladesh, Abul Hasan is ruled out of the remaining ODIs due to side strain. Which means Rubel Hossain or Shafiul Islam will be the possible replacement for him. Bangladesh are 2-0 up in the series now and would be looking to wrap up the series at Dhaka, while West Indies would be looking to save the series and hit back hard in the next ODI.

 

Bangladesh are on a dream run and playing some brilliant cricket. They will surely hope to carry the momentum. The bowlers have managed to keep the West Indian batsmen including Chris Gayle at bay. The emergence of four newcomers in the side have also helped them a lot. Opener and newcomer, Anamul Haque was the difference between the two sides in the last ODI as he dispatched West Indies bowlers all across the park and also notched up his maiden century in his debut series. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim has also shown good form so far as he played a match winning knock in the first ODI and Bangladesh will be hoping that once again their batting click as a unit at Mirpur. In the bowling department, Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam are both capable seamers and have plenty of experience to trouble West Indies batsmen once again.

 

Teams

 

Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Naeem Islam, 4 Nasir Hossain, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Mominul Haque, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Sohag Gazi, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Rubel Hossain/Shafiul Islam.

 

West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Kieran Powell/Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Smith, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Devon Thomas (wk), 9 Andre Russell, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Sunil Narine/Veerasammy Permaul.

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
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