BAN vs WI(Bangladesh v West Indies) 2nd ODI: Preview, Prediction- Oct 15 2011

West Indies will be hoping to clinch the series against Bangladesh when they take on the hosts at Dhaka in the second of the three ODI's. Bangladesh, on the other hand, need to win to stay alive in the series.

West Indies: The Caribbean side ended up losing the closely-contested one off T20 International, but ensured that they did not let the loss affect them as they won the first ODI by a comfortable margin. Lendl Simmons struck his maiden ODI hundred and was well supported by Marlon Samuels as the West Indies piled up a challenging 298/4. Adrian Barath too got off to a good start before a hamstring injury forced him to retire hurt for 21, making him the first victim of the new ICC rule which bans a runner for an injured batsman. Kieron Pollard also did well, scoring a belligerent 41 off just 25 balls. The Windies middle order performed well in the opening game and Sammy, who missed the game due to a stomach upset, would be hoping for the batsmen to perform in the same vein throughout the series.

The West Indian bowling in the T20 game was not all that impressive but they made up for that with a disciplined effort in the 1st ODI. Ravi Rampaul was the pick of the lot with figures of 2/35 from his 10 overs while Andre Russell and Samuels too picked up a couple of wickets each and were also economical. Devendra Bishoo, who was the lone spinner in that match, also did well to contain the batsmen. A similar effort from the bowlers would certainly do a lot of good for West Indies.

Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim's role as the new captain of the Bangladesh team began on the right note when he scored a match-winning 41 in the one off T20I. But his next outing as skipper was not a happy one as his team failed to carry forward the momentum of the T20 win into the ODIs. The batsmen were left with a daunting task as the bowlers failed to contain the West Indians. Bangladesh never threatened to chase down their imposing target despite makeshift opener Naeem Islam scoring 52 and former skipper Shakib Al Hasan delivering some late blows to hit 67 not out. Imrul Kayes also contributed with 42 but their efforts proved to be futile in the end. Captain Rahim may not be too disappointed with the batters, but would be hoping for them to score at a better rate in the forthcoming matches.

Bangladesh's bowling was lack-lustre as the West Indian batsmen blazed away. While the spinners Shakib and Alok Lokpali did not give away too many runs, the seamers Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain proved to be expensive, with an economy rate of more than six per over. The most expensive bowler turned out to be the left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak who gave away 64 runs off his 9 overs. A disciplined effort from the bowlers and some tidiness in the field is imperative for Bangladesh if they have to stay alive in the series.

Quotes:

Our main strength is our slow bowlers, especially in our home conditions, but unfortunately the pitch was not like the one during the Twenty20 match. The spinners didn't get any turn from this pitch, and hence got frustrated: Mushfiqur Rahim blames the pitch for the team's loss in the 1st ODI.

I am now stepping into being a senior player in the team. Adrian Barath is a junior guy from T&T and we played a lot of cricket back home and have a good understanding. I hope we can blossom well as an opening pair: Lendl Simmons wants Adrian Barath as well as himself to do well with the bat.