West Indies began the tri-series with a bang, trouncing hosts Ireland by 196 runs in the opening game. Their next game is against Bangladesh in Clontarf on Tuesday (today) and for West Indies, the opposition is one that has emerged as their closest competitor on the rankings table, and a side they haven’t dominated in ODIs over the last few months. West Indies openers, John Campbell and Shai Hope, were the stars of the win against Ireland, with their world-record 365-run opening stand, which lasted 47.2 overs. While it undoubtedly smothered Ireland, their batting would have come as a breath of fresh air for West Indies, particularly given the bowling-friendly pitches in Ireland. The partnership was also yet another statement of West Indies’ intent heading into the World Cup.
Their performances left little for the West Indies bowlers to do in the 196-run win. Ashley Nurse’s four wickets were on the expensive side but the offspinner could afford a bit of flight, given the massive score he was defending. Shannon Gabriel made a fine comeback in ODIs: in his first match since December 2017, Gabriel had returns of 3-44. Kemar Roach and Sheldon Cottrell were also among the wickets. Bangladesh will head into this game raring to turn things around after an ordinary outing against the Ireland Wolves, where they lost by 88 runs. They have a settled enough ODI line-up that beat West Indies in two ODI series in 2018, but given the number of players recovering from injuries, there is likely to be a shuffle. Shakib Al Hasan, who missed the New Zealand tour, is likely to bat at No 3, which would open up the middle-order, while Mohammad Mithun could return to batting between Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. With Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain and Mohammad Saifuddin all returning from injuries, the bowling line-up will largely depend on Mashrafe Mortaza. Taskin Ahmed and Abu Jayed have the chance to stake claims and Mehidy Hasan could also feature if they are keen on playing two spinners.
After their resounding 196-run win over Ireland, West Indies are unlikely to change their playing XI. Fabian Allen, Shane Dowrich and the uncapped Raymon Reifer are likely to miss out again. Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Mithun, who had missed Bangladesh’s last ODI in Dunedin due to injury, could be included. Pacer Farhad Reza may have to step up in case Mohammad Saifuddin has not fully recovered from his tennis elbow.