In the first ODI, after winning the toss, Mehidy Miraz chose to bat first. The two openers got off to a flying start, laying a solid foundation for the Bangladesh team. Soumya Sarkar began well, hitting a couple of boundaries and playing a beautiful cover drive. However, he couldn’t prolong his innings and ended up getting out while attempting a square cut against Alzarri Joseph. He edged the ball, which went through to wicketkeeper Shai Hope, who took a brilliant catch. Soumya scored only 19 runs from 18 balls. Fans were expecting better performance from him, especially considering he scored 86 runs from 54 balls in the Global Super League while playing for the Champion Rangpur Riders. Bangladesh lost their first wicket at 34 runs.
Captain Shai Hope brought Romario Shepherd into the attack in the eighth over. Shepherd bowled a length delivery outside off stump, and Liton Das, playing it away from his body, edged the ball through to Shai Hope again. Liton had a disappointing outing, scoring only 2 runs from 7 deliveries. Bangladesh lost their second wicket at 46 runs.
After Liton’s dismissal, captain Miraz came to the crease and struggled initially. Shepherd bowled a bouncer, and Miraz jumped and played an uppercut, but he edged it in the air. Keacy Carty was in position to catch it but dropped the ball. Miraz was dropped twice during his innings. He emerged as the highest run-scorer for the Bangladesh team, scoring 74 runs from 101 balls, including 6 fours and 1 six. Opener Tanzid Tamim also started well, playing a variety of glorious shots, including drives, cuts, and pulls. In the 14th over, he confidently came down the track and played a beautiful shot through deep extra cover, showcasing his T20 style of play.
In the third-wicket partnership, Miraz and Tanzid added 79 runs from 97 balls. Later, in the sixth-wicket partnership, Mahmudullah and Jaker Ali Anik scored 96 runs from 74 balls, helping Bangladesh set a substantial total of 294/6.
In response, West Indies lost two early wickets. However, in the third-wicket partnership, Shai Hope and Keacy Carty put on 67 runs from 82 balls. After Carty’s dismissal, Hope formed a strong partnership with Sherfane Rutherford, scoring 99 runs together. In the fifth-wicket partnership, Justin Greaves and Sherfane Rutherford dismantled the Bangladeshi bowling lineup, putting up 95 runs from just 57 balls, which shifted the momentum to the West Indies.
West Indies won the match by 5 wickets with 14 balls remaining. Rutherford scored his first century off just 80 balls, including 7 fours and 8 sixes.
