Bangladesh seek icing on the cake
Match facts
Sunday August 2, 2009Start time 14.00 (18.00 GMT)
Big Picture
It has been a triumphant tour for Bangladesh so far, and they will be aiming to round it off with another victory in the Twenty20 on Sunday. It was the only format in which they had trumped West Indies before setting off for the Caribbean last month, but that famous win in the 2007 World Twenty20 remains their only success against a Test-playing nation in Twenty20s.
In the absence of West Indies' leading players, Bangladesh have had the rare advantage of the being the more experienced side in the contest, and they have made that count in both the Tests and ODIs, holding their nerve at the key moments. Though they have no domestic Twenty20 tournament, Bangladesh's players are still more acquainted with the format than the home side, with several of them having played two World Twenty20s.
West Indies' two major problems have been the inconsistency of the top order, and their discomfort against spin. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan capitalised on that, picking four slow bowlers for the one-dayers, and having a pair of them operating in tandem as early as the ninth over.
The inclusion of Andre Fletcher has added some dynamism to the top order, and he showed his ability while carting three sixes on his way to a 52-ball 62 in the third ODI. How he and Travis Dowlin, one of the more impressive batsmen for West Indies this series, combat the Bangladesh spinners will play a large part in determining whether the home side can salvage at least one win in the series.
Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh - LLLLL
West Indies - LWLWL
Watch out for …
Kemar Roach first came into the spotlight when he was picked by West Indies for a Twenty20 against Australia in 2008 barely five months after making his first-class debut. He has troubled Bangladesh batsmen with his pace all through the series, and though he was expensive in the one-dayers he was the leading wicket-taker, finishing with 10 at 16.20.The allrounder Mahmudullah is coming off the best month of his career, spinning Bangladesh to victory with eight wickets in the first Test, before shepherding them with a mature, unbeaten half-century in the third ODI to keep their spotless record on tour in tact. He is yet to make an impact in Twenty20s at the international level, and Sunday's game provides him the ideal opportunity.
Team news
There aren't likely to be too many changes to the winning Bangladesh combination. One person who place could be under the scanner is Raqibul Hasan, who is not renowned as a big hitter and had a poor run in the ODIs.Bangladesh: (likely) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Junaid Siddique, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Raqibul Hasan, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Naeem Islam, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Syed Rasel, 11 Rubel Hossain.
One of the worries for West Indies is the thigh injury to vice-captain Darren Sammy, who has been one of their key players in both the Tests and one-dayers. But coach John Dyson remains confident Sammy will be fit for Sunday's game after watching him practice at the nets.
West Indies: (likely) 1 Kieron Powell , 2 Andre Fletcher, 3 Devon Smith, 4 Travis Dowlin, 5 David Bernard, 6 Floyd Reifer (capt), 7 Devon Thomas (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Gavin Tonge.
Stats and trivia
- Fletcher and Sammy are the only West Indies players who have played 10 or more Twenty20, while Bangladesh have five players with that much experience
- Bangladesh have lost their previous eight Twenty20 games; their last win was nearly two years ago
- The only Twenty20 match that Kemar Roach has played at the senior level is when he made was picked against Australia in 2008
Quotes
"It is a young team. They have got to continue to play, and play hard. We have got to continue talking to each other." West Indies captain Floyd Reifer tries to keep his inexperienced side motivatedSiddarth Ravindran is a sub-editor at Cricinfo