WI vs BAN 3rd T20I 2022: Stumbling Tigers seek respite from losing ways

The 3rd T20I between West Indies and Bangladesh will take place at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday (July 7).

The match is set to begin at 11.30 pm (Bangladesh Standard Time).

The West Indies are 1-0 up in the series with a 35-run victory in the second match at Windsor Park in Dominica, and the first match was called off due to inclement weather conditions.

Bangladesh have never played a T20I match at the Providence stadium. West Indies, on the other hand, have only won two of their six matches at this venue. So, it's not a favourite ground for the Caribbean team.

The Mahmudullah Riyad-led Bangladesh T20I team has only won one match since the Super 12 round of the 2021 T20 World Cup. They lost 10 and one game had no result. This clearly indicates that the Bangladesh Twenty20 team hasn't been in the best shape at the moment. They have shortcomings in certain areas which need to be fixed as early as possible before the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Bangladesh team management needs to find out the major issues through the remaining series before the upcoming World Cup. The approach of the batters to the shortest format, the inability of power-hitting and the lack of effectiveness in the death over bowling are some of the issues that have been revealed in the ongoing series. Bangladesh need to find a solution to these issues before the third match of the series. Otherwise, they will face consequences like in the second T20I.

There might be a few adjustments made for the series' final game. However, changes won't make any big difference if the players fail to thrive in the actual contest.

Predicted Playing XI

Top-Order: Litton Das, Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan;

Middle-Order: Mahmudullah (Captain), Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (Wicket-Keeper), Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan;

Lower-Order: Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.

The West Indies had a tough T20 World Cup 2021, and a number of big stars announced their retirements post the mega event. The current West Indian team is relatively inexperienced and is led by wicket-keeper batter Nicholas Pooran. Nicholas has shown good captaincy so far in the series. He has rotated his spinners and faster bowlers pretty well, which has proved effective during the contest.

Rovman Powell was outstanding with the bat in the second match. It seems Powell's new role is to accelerate the run rates in the death overs. Furthermore, the West Indies have found solid opening partners in Mayers and Brandon. The team has built well under the leadership of Nicholas Pooran. The Windies will be eager to prove their progression by winning the BAN vs WI 3rd T20I 2022 as well as the series.

Predicted Playing XI     

Top-Order: Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks;

Middle-Order: Nicholas Pooran (Captain & Wicket-Keeper), Rovman Powell, Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, Romario Shepherd;

Lower-Order: Obed McCoy, Akeal Hosein, Hayden Walsh Jr.

Pitch and Weather Forecast

There is a strong chance of rain on Thursday in Georgetown, Guyana. Therefore, the match could be interrupted due to inclement weather conditions. Batting first would be an ideal choice for the toss-winning captain at this ground.

Bangladesh's performance in the ongoing Caribbean tour has been very disappointing. After a clueless showing by the batters in the Test format, there was an expectation that the batters would come out with a lot of intent in the shortest format of the game. However, it seems Bangladesh's batting unit doesn't have any idea of what to do in the middle, be it at the beginning of the innings or in the death overs. The bowling was subpar in the second match, conceding too many runs in the death overs.

Bangladesh need to find a quick solution to all of their major shortcomings in order to level the series. Will they be able to stop a rejuvenated West Indies side? The way the Caribbean team has been performing over the last two months, it will be a real challenge for the visitors to overcome the hosts.