‌West Indies levelled the three-match series with a nerve-wracking win via super over in the second ODI in Mirpur on Tuesday. Captain Shai Hope led from the front with a gritty half-century, while Alick Athanaze also shone with an all-round performance as both teams finished on level terms in a low-scoring thriller before the visitors surged ahead by a solitary run in the eliminator.
 

Bangladesh openers Saif Hassan and Soumya Sarkar had a cautious start after the home side opted to bat at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. The visitors’ move to start with spin from both ends reaped rewards as Akeal Hosein and fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie reduced the hosts to 41/2 inside 11 overs. Former skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mahidul Islam Ankon were guilty of throwing away promising starts as dot ball pressure had the pair gifting their wickets to part-time spinner Alick Athanaze. Sarkar looked solid amidst all the chaos that turned out from the other end, but finally the scoring bug bit him too as he holed out in the deep in the 31st over. The southpaw scored three fours and a six but missed out on a well-deserved half-century as he departed for an 89-ball 45. Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz (32*) tried his best to provide the much-needed stability to the lower order, but wickets continued to fall as the home side stood at a precarious 163/7 with only four overs left to play. However, Rishad Hossain rescued the Tiges with his counterattacking cameo and took them to a respectable 213/7 on a slow and challenging surface. The leg-spinner smashed three sixes and three fours during his unbeaten 14-ball 39 as the hosts plundered 50 runs in the last four overs. In a rare instance, all the 50 overs were bowled by West Indies’ spinners, with Motie ending with figures of 3/65 in 10 overs, while Athanaze bowled an impressive spell of 2/14 in 10 overs.

The chase started on a wrong note with opener Brandon King being trapped right in front by left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed for a first-ball duck in the third ball of the innings. But fellow opener Athanaze and Keacy Carty steadied the ship with a crucial 51-run partnership for the second wicket. However, the introduction of Rishad worked wonders for the Tigers as he accounted for a comfortable looking Athanaze (28) with his third ball of the day. The leg-spinner played partnership-breaker again as he ended a crucial stand between Carty and Ackeem Auguste. He trapped Carty, who scored two fours and a six during his knock of 35, in front of the wicket, while Auguste was dismissed by left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam as the Windies slid from 82/2 to 133/7. But a fighting association between captain Shai Hope and all-rounder Justin Greaves (26) brought the visitors back into the game. Their 44-run stand, however, faced an anticlimactic end with Greaves finishing short of the crease after a wonderful direct hit from skipper Mehidy. However, Hope ensured that the Windies stayed afloat in the game with his fighting unbeaten half-century. The skipper hit four boundaries during his unbeaten 67-ball 53, but a tight last over from Saif Hassan turned the tables on the visitors. The off-spinner conceded just four runs in the last over as the Windies ended at 213/9 and the game proceeded to a super over. Rishad was Bangladesh’s best bowler with figures of 3/42 in 10 overs, while the left-arm spin duo of Tanvir Islam and Nasum Ahmed had two wickets each.

In the ensuing super over, West Indies managed 10/1 against left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, with Hope scoring seven, while the home side agonisingly finished a run short against Hosein.