Bangladesh stun W Indies with late bowling blitz

What looked like a 200-run onslaught turned into a dramatic collapse as Bangladesh staged a stunning bowling comeback to restrict the West Indies to 149 for 9 in the second T20I at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

Chasing parity in the series after a heavy defeat in the opener, the hosts needed a disciplined performance—and they delivered, especially in the death overs. After a blistering 105-run stand between Alick Athanaze and Shai Hope, the Caribbean side appeared unstoppable at 106 for 1 after 11 overs. But a fiery spell from Nasum Ahmed and Rishad Hossain triggered a spectacular meltdown, with six wickets falling for just 12 runs.

The match began with heartbreak for Bangladesh. Tanjim Hasan Shakib beat opener Brandon King with the very first ball, and wicketkeeper Liton Das dived full-length to take the catch—but the ball spilled out of his grasp. King survived, but only briefly. In the next over, Taskin Ahmed struck: King (1) holed out to Towhid Hridoy at mid-off, giving Bangladesh the breakthrough.

From there, Athanaze and Hope took charge. Both raced to half-centuries off just 30 balls, peppering the boundary with fearless strokeplay. Athanaze smashed 52 off 33 (4 fours, 3 sixes), while Hope blasted 55 off 36 (3 fours, 3 sixes), putting on a 105-run partnership in only 59 deliveries.

But the momentum shifted dramatically in the 12th over. Nasum Ahmed struck twice in two balls—first trapping Athanaze lbw on a slog sweep, then clean-bowling Shamarh Brooks (0) with a sharp arm ball. The floodgates opened.

Mustafizur Rahman removed Hope next, the batter mistiming an off-cutter to point. Then Rishad Hossain produced two stunning moments: first, a reflex catch off his own bowling to dismiss the dangerous Rovman Powell (3), and then trapping Jason Holder (4) plumb in front.

From 106/1, the West Indies collapsed to 118/7. Only late cameos from Romario Shepherd (13 off 16) and Roston Chase (17* off 15) pushed the total past 140.

Mustafizur finished with 3 for 21, including two wickets in the final over, while Nasum and Rishad claimed 2 wickets apiece. Shakib and Taskin kept things tight at the top, conceding just 1 and 24 runs respectively in their opening spells.

Chasing 150, Bangladesh now have a golden chance to level the series—thanks to a collective bowling effort that turned a high-scoring thriller into a tightly contested contest.