West Indies escapes elimination, defeating Bangladesh by three runs

Reigning T20 champions, West Indies, kept their dreams of defending their 2016 title alive after narrowly defeating Bangladesh by three runs on Friday.

Bangladesh won the toss and elected West Indies to bat first, but the Caribbean side only managed to score 147-2 in their 20 overs at the crease. Bangladesh replied with 139-5 off their 20 overs, but it was not enough to claim victory at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

It was a thrilling encounter that had a dramatic run chase, Bangladesh needing four runs off the final ball of the innings to win their first game of the tournament. The cricket universe nervously watched the nail-biting battle between Bangladesh’s team captain Mahmudullah and West Indies fast bowler Andre Russell at the dying moment of the game to decide the winner. With just one delivery to bowl, Russel held his nerve and delivered an impeccable yorker, but Mahmudullah failed to make a connection. As a result, West Indies celebrated their triumph while Bangladesh’s title chase came to an end.

Although West Indies batting performance was not spectacular once again, a brilliant knock from Nicholas Pooran gave West Indies the lifeline they needed to have a chance of qualifying for the semifinals. The impressive, young Trinidadian wicket-keeper-batsman scored a much-needed 40 runs off 22 balls to extend what would have been a much easier target for Bangladesh to reach. Jason Holder also performed well, stoutly defending the West Indies’ total. He took one wicket for 22 runs off his four overs and was superb in the field, taking two key catches to help his team defeat Bangladesh. Interestingly, Holder was a late inclusion to the squad, having replaced Obed McCoy, who sustained an injury to his right leg and was later ruled out of the world cup tournament.

It was a must-win fixture for West Indies to remain in the tournament after losing their first two fixtures to England and South Africa. West Indies now joins a group of three teams on two points but are sitting in fifth place. England and Australia are both on four points, England currently topping the table because of a higher net run rate.