After a quick cameo with the bat, Rishad Hossain made history by becoming the first Bangladeshi spinner to take six wickets in a One Day International.
Following the disappointment of a crushing defeat to Afghanistan, waves of criticism, and widespread negativity, around ten thousand passionate fans still filled the stands at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur — drawn once again by the magic of cricket. They had little to cheer for early in the match, but in the latter half, their voices roared with joy as Rishad delivered a stunning all-round performance to lead Bangladesh to victory over the West Indies.
Bangladesh triumphed by 74 runs in the opening match of the three-match ODI series.
On a turning Mirpur pitch, where even reaching 200 seemed uncertain, Rishad stepped up with a crucial 13-ball 26. Then, with the ball, he dismantled the Windies batting lineup, claiming six wickets for just 35 runs.
He became Bangladesh’s first right-arm spinner to take a five-wicket haul in ODIs — and no other Bangladeshi spinner had ever taken six wickets before him.
Before this game, Rishad had never taken more than two wickets in an innings across his 11 ODIs.
Much of the pre-match curiosity surrounded the black-colored wicket. Early on, there was good bounce for the pacers, but by the 10th over, the spinners started finding sharp turn. Throughout the innings, the pitch gripped well, though the bounce didn’t stay too low — making batting a real challenge.
In such conditions, Towhid Hridoy was the only player to reach fifty, scoring 51, while debutant Mahidul Islam added a valuable 46 as Bangladesh posted 207 runs.
Chasing 208, the Caribbean side started well but crumbled against Rishad’s spin. They were bundled out for 133 with 11 overs remaining.
At one stage, West Indies were 79 for 1, but they lost their remaining nine wickets for just 54 runs.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz was initially pleased, but that joy faded quickly as both openers failed. Saif Hassan (3) fell in the second over, followed by Soumya Sarkar (4) in the next.
Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy then focused on rebuilding, adding 71 runs from 120 balls. But just as it seemed they would push the pace, Shanto was dismissed for 32 off 63 balls.
Mahidul struggled to rotate strike early on, while Hridoy couldn’t find many boundaries either. After finally reaching his fifty off 87 balls, Hridoy fell chasing a wide delivery from Justin Greaves.
Mahidul, who had just started to accelerate, also departed for 46 off 76, attempting to slog Roston Chase. Miraz made 17 before falling, while Nurul Hasan Sohan (9) also went cheaply.
Rishad then played a spirited cameo, hitting two sixes off Greaves and Jayden Seales to take Bangladesh close to 200. Tanvir Islam’s six in the final over pushed the total past that mark.
In the chase, Taskin Ahmed and Tanvir Islam began with two maiden overs before Brandon King and Alick Athanaze counterattacked, adding 28 runs quickly. However, once Rishad entered the attack, the game turned decisively.
He first broke the partnership by dismissing Athanaze (27), then removed the struggling Keacy Carty (9 off 30). King’s dismissal for 44 sparked a collapse — in the same over, Rishad also trapped Sherfane Rutherford for a duck.
Soon after, Chase fell too, giving Rishad his maiden five-wicket haul. From there, the West Indies innings unraveled rapidly.
Miraz bowled brilliantly, conceding just 16 runs in 10 overs and picking up one wicket. Mustafizur Rahman cleaned up the tail, removing Justin Greaves and Romario Shepherd.
Rishad returned to claim the final wicket, sealing the victory and etching his name into Bangladesh cricket history.
Bangladesh won by 74 runs and took a 1–0 lead in the three-match series.
Player of the Match: Rishad Hossain.
Brief Scores
- Bangladesh: 207 in 49.4 overs (Hridoy 51, Mahidul 46, Shanto 32, Rishad 26; Seales 3/48, Chase 2/30)
- West Indies: 133 in 39 overs (King 44, Athanaze 27; Rishad 6/35, Mustafizur 2/16, Miraz 1/16)
