Bangladesh and West Indies will be looking to keep their ICC T20 World Cup 2021 semi-finals’ hopes alive when the two team lock horns in match 23 of the tournament at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The two teams head into this fixture after losses in their previous two matches.
Defending champions West Indies had a shock loss against England in their first match of the tournament. West Indies’ poor form continued as they next lost to South Africa.
Bangladesh could not keep up their form from the first round as they were defeated by Sri Lanka in their first match of the ‘Super 12’ stage. Next, the Mahmudullah led side faced an embarrassing defeat at the hands of England.
With two losses from two matches for both teams, their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals have diminished. Hence this match is a virtual knock-out for both the teams.
West Indies’ strengths:
Unsure what is West Indies strength at the moment as the team the team is looking disjointed at the moment and several players failing simultaneously. But the team can derive inspiration from the fact that the likes of Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Chris Gayle and some of the most experienced players in T20 cricket. Also, addition of Jason Holder should also bring in much more balance and calm in the squad.
West Indies’ weaknesses:
West Indies batting is looking in complete disarray at the moment. If Nicholas Pooran and Chris Gayle’s dry spell was not enough, then opener Lendl Simmons knock of 16 from just 35 deliveries against England have only compounded the issue. Simmons’ knock was the slowest innings by a West Indian in T20Is, among those who faced at least 30 balls.
Bangladesh strengths:
Bangladesh batters are in good form. Mushfiqur Rahim, 135 runs from 5 innings, and Mohammad Naim, 131 runs from 4 innings, are the two run scorers in the tournament so far. Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah have also chipped in with their bats scoring 122 runs and 119 runs respectively. Bangladesh chances of winning the match depend on how well the batters perform.
Bangladesh weaknesses:
Bangladesh is struggling in the bowling department. Although in Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh have in their ranks the tournament’s leading wicket taker, but it feels like Shakib is waging a lone battle on the bowling front. Other than Shakib, no other Bangladesh bowler has managed to pick more that 6 wickets. Next best wicket taker for Bangladesh in this tournament is Mustafizur Rahman with 6 scalps.
Head-to-head
Matches played: 12
West Indies wins: 6
Bangladesh wins: 5
No Result: 1
Form Guide:
West Indies: L-L-NR-NR-L
Bangladesh: L-L-W-W-L
Pitch and conditions
Five matches have been played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium for the T20 World Cup and four have been won batting second. Clearly the pitch is conducive while chasing. The average first innings total of the five matches played here for the World Cup is 132.8. If the numbers are to be believed then the pitch doesn’t have many runs in it.
The afternoon will mostly be sunny. The temperature is expected to be around 34°C. The humidity level will be around 42%.
Team News
Bangladesh fast bowler Mohammad Saifuddin will miss the remainder of Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup after he complained of a back pain. Senior fast bowler Rubel Hossain will replace Saifuddin in the Bangladesh squad.
West Indies too have been forced to make a change in their squad. Left-arm pacer Obed McCoy has been ruled out of the World Cup following an injury in his right shin. Former captain Jason Holder has been announced as McCoy’s replacement in the West Indies squad.
Deccan Herald’s Dream XI
Mohammad Naim, Evin Lewis, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Mahmudullah (c), Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman
Impact player for West Indies
Evin Lewis: West Indies opener, Evin Lewis scored a valiant 56 against South Africa. Lewis’ show at the top of the order will be important for the team as the middle order is out of form. If Lewis can play a blistering knock up top, it would ease the pressure from the middle.
Impact player for Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan: For this all-important fixture, Bangladesh would hope that all-rounder Shakib AL Hasan is at the top of his game. Shakib has scored 122 runs and is the top wicket taker with 11 scalps to his name. If Shakib has a good game, then Bangladesh have a high chance of winning the contest.
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