Bangladesh fall short again as W Indies clinch series with one match to spare

Bangladesh’s batting woes continued as they failed to chase a modest target of 150, handing the West Indies a 14-run win and the T20I series in Chattogram on Wednesday — with one match still to play.

After a strong comeback from the bowlers restricted the visitors to 149 for 9, the Bangladeshi batters once again faltered under pressure, managing only 135 for 8 in their 20 overs.

Chasing 150, Bangladesh’s top order crumbled early. Saif Hasan’s poor run continued as he was dismissed for 5, while skipper Liton Das fell for 23 after a promising start. Towhid Hridoy and Zaker Ali also failed to capitalise, leaving the middle order exposed.

Tanjid Hasan Tamim stood tall with a fighting half-century, smashing 61 off 48 balls with 3 fours and 6 sixes, but his dismissal in the 18th over effectively ended Bangladesh’s hopes. The lower order offered little resistance as the team fell short by 14 runs.

Romario Shepherd and Akeal Hosein led the West Indies attack, taking three wickets each to secure the series.

Earlier, the visitors were cruising at 106 for 1 in the 11th over, but Bangladesh’s spinners triggered a collapse. Nasum Ahmed and Rishad Hossain combined to take four wickets in quick succession, while Mustafizur Rahman finished with 3 for 21, including two in the final over.

Shai Hope top-scored for the West Indies with 55 off 36 balls, while Alick Athanaze added 52 off 33. The rest of the batting line-up struggled as West Indies slipped from 106 for 1 to 149 for 9.

Despite another spirited effort from the bowlers, Bangladesh’s repeated batting failures have cost them the series — a pattern they will need to fix fast ahead of the final match and future assignments.