Rishad repeats his Mirpur magic

It was a case of déjà vu at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. In the first ODI, Rishad Hossain's cameo of 26 off 13 balls had pushed Bangladesh's total to 207. The hosts went on to win that match by 74 runs. After a two-day break, Rishad produced another cameo in the second ODI today — and once again, Bangladesh crossed the 200 mark.

Preparing spin-friendly pitches to trouble opponents is nothing new for Bangladesh. Especially at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, batters often struggle for runs. The ongoing Bangladesh–West Indies series has been no exception. But where the likes of Saif Hassan and Towhid Hridoy found it difficult to score, Rishad unleashed carnage. Coming in at No. 9, he smashed 39 runs off just 14 balls in the second ODI, powering Bangladesh to 213 for 7.

With an eye on sealing the series, Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss and chose to bat first. The hosts lost their first wicket on 22. On the fourth ball of the fifth over, Saif Hassan tried to defend Akil Hosein on the front foot, only to edge it to first slip, where Justin Greaves took a comfortable catch. Ironically, the previous ball had been hit for six. Saif managed only 6 runs off 16 deliveries.

Bangladesh ended the powerplay (first 10 overs) at 40 for 1. The scoring rate then slowed down. Towhid Hridoy (12), Najmul Hossain Shanto (15), and debutant Mahidul Islam Ankon (17) all fell after reaching double figures. Opening batter Soumya Sarkar looked composed but fell short of a fifty.

He made 45 runs off 89 balls with three fours and a six. On the third ball of the 31st over, Soumya tried to loft Akil Hosein, but Khary Pierre ran in from deep midwicket to complete a fine catch. His dismissal left Bangladesh struggling at 103 for 5 after 30.3 overs. For the sixth wicket, Miraz and Nasum Ahmed added 25 runs off 48 balls.

In the 39th over, Nasum was undone by a delivery from Gudakesh Motie that bounced unexpectedly. Unsure whether to block or play a shot, he ended up offering an easy catch to Pierre at short midwicket. Coming in at No. 8, Nurul Hasan Sohan played a brisk innings — scoring 23 off 24 balls with two fours and a six — the only top-order batter to bat with genuine ODI intent.

After Sohan's departure, the late assault began. Bangladesh added 34 runs in the final two overs without losing a wicket, with Rishad contributing 33 of those. He remained unbeaten on 39 off 14 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes. After Soumya's 45, Rishad's innings turned out to be the second-highest of the innings. Captain Miraz also remained unbeaten, scoring 32 off 58 balls.

For the West Indies, Gudakesh Motie picked up 3 wickets for 65 runs in his 10 overs. Akil Hosein and Alick Athanaze took two wickets each. The part-time spinner Athanaze bowled economically, conceding just 14 runs in his 10 overs, which included three maidens.