After blaming the bowlers for failing to take wickets in the middle overs in the first match, Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz has now lamented the batting after a crushing seven-wicket loss to the West Indies in the second one-day international at Warner Park in St Kitts on Tuesday.
Bangladesh entered the series with an 11-match winning streak over the Caribbean. After losing two consecutive matches, the Tigers were humbled in a series for the first time since 2014, with the West Indies taking an unassailable 2-0 lead.
The visitors only managed to post 227 runs, that too with the help of a record eighth wicket partnership between Mahmudullah (62 off 92) and Tanzim Hasan (45 off 62).
After losing seven wickets for just 115, the duo added 92 of 106 balls鈥攖he highest for this wicket for Bangladesh.聽
After the match, Mehidy said that they knew that wasn鈥檛 enough. 鈥楧efinitely, Mahmudullah and Sakib played well, but it was our mistake [with bat in hand that cost us],鈥� said Mehidy.
Bangladesh鈥檚 innings was dented early despite Tanzid Hasan鈥檚 breezy 46 off 33. Soumya Sarker (two), Liton Das (four off 19), and Mehidy (one) all fell cheaply off Jayden Seales, and that handed the hosts an early advantage.聽
鈥業 think they bowled really well, especially Seales in the first couple of overs. We didn鈥檛 get early runs. We were 20-4; that was the problem. But even then we believed that we could come back,鈥� said Mehidy.聽
Afif Hossain, batting at five, got the start but couldn鈥檛 capitalise on it as he became the first wicket for the left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie in four games.聽
Mahmudullah, with the company of Tanzim, fought well for a period. But none of them could finish it off as Bangladesh got all out with 25 balls remaining in the innings.聽
Mehidy thought that batting had cost them the game.
鈥榃e didn鈥檛 bat well in the middle overs. We didn鈥檛 get any partnerships. [We lost] back-to-back wickets; that was the problem,鈥� he rued.聽
On a good batting wicket, Bangladesh bowlers found it hard to break through. They got it when Evin Lewis chipped it back to Rishad Hossain on 49.聽
But that didn鈥檛 bother King鈥攚ho made 82 off 76鈥攚ith the company of Keacy Carty (45 off 47) got the hosts to a comfortable position.
Nahid Rana鈥檚 pacy yorker was too hot to handle for him.聽
That, however, didn鈥檛 cost the West Indies at all, as captain Shai Hope and the hero of the first match鈥擲herfane Rutherford鈥攖ook them home with 79 balls to spare.
Mehidy praised the efforts of the bowlers but realised that wasn鈥檛 enough.聽
鈥榃e bowled really well in the first 10 overs, especially our best bowler鈥擱ana鈥攚ho bowled well,鈥� said the Bangladesh captain.
聽鈥榌But eventually] our score wasn鈥檛 enough on this type of wicket. 300-plus was needed here. On this wicket, it鈥檚 hard for bowlers to defend a score like 220 runs.鈥�
The third and final match of the series will be held at the same venue today.
