BAN vs WI third ODI Preview | Another low-scoring game in offing in Dhaka with series on line

‌All eyes will be on the surface that will be offered at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur as Bangladesh face West Indies in the final ODI of the three-match series on Thursday. The duel is nicely poised at 1-1 after both sides won a game each at the same venue.

With yet another slow and sluggish strip on offer, the visitors did not bowl a single over of pace in their entire quota of 50 overs. Five spinners, including part-timer Alick Athanaze, bowled their full quota of overs to restrict the Tigers to a modest total.

But as in the first game, the Windies struggled to adjust, with the lack of pace on the surface before captain Shai Hope’s gritty half-century pushed the game into super over, where they finally prevailed. He was well-supported by Keacy Carty and Justin Greaves, who made valuable contributions with the bat, while Athanaze was a surprise package with the ball, producing an impressive spell of 2/14 in 10 overs.

The home side will look to put in an improved performance with the bat and expect its spinners to do the rest in its bid to pocket the series. Soumya Sarkar, Towhid Hridoy, and Najmul Hossain Shanto all got off to promising starts before throwing away their wickets recklessly. Meanwhile, the home side’s spin department, led by leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, picked up all wickets on offer in the last game.

Form Guide

BAN Form: L L L W L

WI Form: L W W L W

BAN vs WI head-to-head in ODIs

There is very little to separate both sides with West Indies winning 24 compared to Bangladesh’s 22 victories. Two out of the total 49 games have ended without a result, while the last game was the first tie registered in matches between both sides.

BAN 22 - 24 WI

Pitch and Conditions

The surface at the Shere Bangla National  Stadium is expected to haunt the batters again with its slow pace and low bounce. The spinners will have a key role to play throughout the game with the pacers once expected to be on the fringes in the decider. With dew not impacting the performance of the spinners significantly, both sides will look to put a decent total on the board before strangulating the other with the slower bowlers.

It will be a partly sunny and hot afternoon in Dhaka with temperatures expected to be around 34 degrees at the start of the contest. However, the weather is expected to cool down, and temperatures will drop to 23 degrees as the game progresses, with very minimal chances of rain.  

Team News

Both sides are expected to play with the same combination that took the field for the second game in Mirpur.

BAN Expected XI

Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, Towhid Hridoy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (c), Nurul Hasan (wk), Nasum Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.

WI Expected XI

Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Keacy Carty, Ackeem Auguste, Shai Hope (c & wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Khary Pierre 

Broadcasting Platforms 

The BAN vs WI third ODI match will be digitally streamed on the FanCode app and website in India from 1:00 PM IST on Thursday.