Bangladesh are eyeing to capitalize on the batters’ form from the recently concluded ODI series, despite suffering a 3-0 defeat against the West Indies, as the battle of T20Is begins on Monday.
The first of the three-match series is scheduled to begin at 6:00am Bangladesh Standard Time at the Kingstown in St Vincent.
It’s been a mixed tour for Bangladesh so far, as they made a comeback to draw the Test series 1-1 by securing a 101-run win in the second Test in Jamaica after suffering a defeat in the first Test in Antigua by 201 runs.
But then the Tigers were swept by the hosts in ODIs—the format that often seemed to be their favorite.
They had been on a winning streak of 11 matches in the format before losing the first ODI against West Indies by five wickets.
Bangladesh suffered defeats in the second and third ODIs by a seven-wicket and a four-wicket respectively.     Â
Bangladesh batters displayed batting prowess by scoring 294 in the first ODI and 321 in the third match.
As they prepare for the upcoming T20 series, Soumya Sarkar stated that the batters’ current form would be helpful.
‘We have been playing well in the ODIs. But we didn’t have a good couple of series. However, batters have scored 300 runs. This is a positive sign,’ Soumya said in a BCB video.Â
The bowlers, though, came under scrutiny after failing to defend two big totals. Soumya, who last played in the format in the last World Cup, hoped that they would make a comeback in the 20-over series.
‘The bowlers might’ve struggled in the [ODI] series a bit. I hope they will come back in the T20 series,’ he said.
‘And if the batters continue to maintain the consistency and the batters do something good, then we can hope for something good,’ he added.
However, it won’t be easy for Bangladesh, as they are struggling in this format, having lost six of their last T20 matches.
Bangladesh’s last T20 victory against the West Indies was about six years ago. Since then, they have suffered four consecutive losses to the Caribbean.
West Indies, however, aren’t on top of their game either. They lost to England at home by 3-1 before losing to Sri Lanka away by 2-1.
Soumya said that whatever the difference between the two teams, it won’t matter in the series.
‘The thing is, it’s a game of 40 overs. The big teams and small teams, it won’t matter. If we can do well in the three departments, then we can hope that we can beat them comfortably,’ said Soumya.
Bangladesh will see a new captain Liton Das in the series after Mehidy Hasan Miraz led them in the absence of injured captain Najmul Hossain Shanto.
Bangladesh also recalled all-rounder Shamim Hossain and Afif Hossain, whereas pacer Ripon Mondol has been called into the senior side for the first time after playing in the Asian Games 2023.
The venue also holds some bitter memories for Bangladesh. It was where that they missed a golden opportunity to reach the semifinals of the T20 World Cup, suffering a crushing defeat against Afghanistan in June.