That's all from this contest, folks! For now, it's me Deepak Prakash signing off on behalf of co-commentator Karthik Raj and scorer/analyst Ashok Dayma. CHEERS!
Highest Successful ODI Run Chases at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts:
295/5 - West Indies vs Bangladesh, This Match, 2024*
266/6 - West Indies vs Australia, 2016
249/7 - Bangladesh vs West Indies, 2009
Shai Hope (West Indies Captain): "Just the way the guys went around to turn around that 11-game losing streak. We spoke about that in the team meeting. (On Roston Chase bowling only 3 overs) He wasn't getting much turn. Have the luxury of Justin Greaves and the pacers were getting help from the conditions.
I think he is leading from the front with his consistency. He has been striking the ball very well. Has put in a lot of hard work and good to see him getting the results. Disappointed to not finish the game.
Was telling Sherfane that milestones will come but important to finish the game. As long as they put up their hands and get big scores, very pleased. Don't want to relax, need to be as consistent as possible."
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh Captain): "We were satisfied with 294 on this kind of wicket. Credit to them for building a partnership in the middle overs. As a bowling side, we had a tough day.
Tanzim and Nahid bowled well, but we didn't pick up wickets in the middle overs. Once again, credit to them. We've learned a lot from this, and we’ll look to improve in the upcoming games. We have a good chance in the matches ahead."
Sherfane Rutherford (Player of the Match): "First of all, want to thank god for the opportunity. Planned to start working hard, doing everything to be disciplined to give myself the best chance of performing and great to see that it is happening. Tried to have good intent, running between the wickets.
Started a bit slow but I knew I can make up if I am there till in the end. It is part of the game, you will get it. Was okay to take some blows for the team. It is always good batting with him, he was just telling to keep up the intent. We were focusing on small partnerships. I am looking to be consistent. Hopefully, I can continue to score runs for the West Indies and myself."
Player of the Match: Sherfane Rutherford
3:04 AM IST, 5:34 PM Local Time: A stupendous batting display from the hosts as they chased down 294 runs with 5 wickets in hand and 14 balls to spare, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. This marks their highest successful run chase in ODIs at Warner Park. Take a moment to applaud Sherfane Rutherford for his breathtaking batting in a precarious situation.
Earlier, after opting to bat first, Bangladesh posted 294/6 in their 50-over quota. Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar started on a positive note but the latter failed to continue for a long and departed for 19 runs. He was soon followed by Litton Das, who fell prey to Romario Shepherd after scoring a mere 2 runs.
The visitors lost two wickets in quick succession in the first over of the powerplay but Tanzid and Mehidy Hasan Miraz paired up in the middle and steadied the ship, adding 79 runs for the third wicket. Tanzid notched up his fifty but Alzarri Joseph trapped the left-hander for 60 runs and broke the dangerous-looking partnership.
Miraz paired up with Afif Hossain (28) and stitched another 50-plus runs partnership, with the Bangladeshi skipper reaching his fifty-run milestone in the process. Romario Shepherd got the better of Afif and broke the budding partnership.
Miraz lost patience as he crossed the 70-run mark and jumped out of the crease to send the ball into next week but unfortunately miscued and went back to the hut falling 26 runs short of his Century.
Jaker Ali and Mahmudullah took responsibility for scoring in the last phase of the innings and the pair added 96 runs for the 6th wicket - the highest partnership in the innings. Jaker fell just 2 runs short of his fifty on the penultimate ball, while Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on 50 runs, propelling Bangladesh to over 294 runs in 50 overs.
Romario Shepherd impressed with the ball for the hosts, claiming three wickets. Alzarri Joseph bagged a couple of wickets, while Jayden Seales celebrated a solitary wicket.
In pursuit of 294 runs, West Indies got off to a shaky start as they lost Brandon King (9) and Evin Lewis (16) inside the first powerplay. Keacy Carty and Shai Hope paired up in the middle and started the rescue mission. They focused on the strike rotation and pounced on the looseners to keep the scoreboard moving. Their partnership flourished past 60 runs but Rishad Hossain removed Carty for 21 runs and provided a much-needed breakthrough for the visitors.
Sherfane Rutherford joined the skipper in the middle and looked in good touch initially. However, the Bangladeshi bowlers tested his batting skills with short balls, and the left-hander struggled against the bouncers. He took a couple of blows to his helmet, with the second one causing a cut on his chin. With a couple of band-aids, the southpaw continued to fight for his country, maintaining a decent scoring rate and putting the batting back on track. The partnership between the pair was nearing the 100-run mark, but unfortunately, Mehidy Hasan Miraz trapped his opposite number for 86, breaking the stand at a crucial juncture in the game. Rutherford paired up with Justin Greaves and shifted gears as the innings progressed. The dynamic batter quickly brought the required run rate close to 6 runs per over with his aggressive style of play, putting Bangladesh under pressure. He notched up his maiden ODI century on the occasion and took the game well beyond the visitors' reach. However, he couldn't score the finishing runs, getting dismissed for 113 when the West Indies needed just 7 runs from more than 3 overs. Greaves remained unbeaten on 41 runs and helped his side cross the line with 14 balls to spare. Bangladesh bowlers failed to carry the first powerplay's momentum and allowed the partnership to flourish. Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana, Rishad Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Soumya Sarkar bagged one wicket each for them.