Bangladesh experienced their first-ever tied match in international cricket — but West Indies had the last laugh, winning in a dramatic Super Over.
When Khary Pierre lofted the ball high into the sky, the entire stadium held its breath. A simple catch would have sealed victory for Bangladesh. Wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan Sohan sprinted towards it, but as he dived, the ball slipped through his hands. By the time it hit the ground, Pierre and Shai Hope had completed two runs. The match was tied. Bowler Saif Hassan sank to the ground in despair, hands on his head.
Moments later, Saif had a chance to redeem himself. Bangladesh needed three runs to win off the last ball — two for another tie. He managed only a single. The stadium fell silent, the Bangladeshi dugout stunned, while the West Indies erupted in joy. Riding on that momentum, they clinched the Super Over and leveled the series.
This was Bangladesh’s first tie in any format of international cricket, though it ultimately ended in heartbreak.
At Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, both teams finished on 213 runs in the main match. In the Super Over, West Indies scored 10 while Bangladesh managed only 9.
Arriving from a long flight at 4 a.m., Akeal Hosein still found the energy to guide his team to victory later that night.
Ironically, Saif had kept Bangladesh’s hopes alive earlier. West Indies needed just five runs in the final over, but his superb bowling almost turned the game around. Had Sohan not dropped that last catch, the match wouldn’t have gone to a Super Over.
Mustafizur Rahman bowled the Super Over. Hope took a single off the first ball before Sherfane Rutherford was dismissed next. Hope and Brandon King added five runs off the next three balls, and the final delivery took a thick edge to third man for four.
Chasing 11, Bangladesh sent out Soumya Sarkar and Saif to bat. Hosein began with a wide, then bowled a no-ball that yielded two runs — four on the board without a legal delivery. With six balls left, Bangladesh needed just seven runs. They even received another wide but somehow couldn’t finish the job.
Only two singles came from the next three deliveries. Soumya was caught on the fourth. Najmul Hossain Shanto walked in next, and a leg bye brought one run. Four runs were needed from the final ball. Hosein bowled another wide, but then held his nerve. Saif managed only a single, sealing West Indies’ dramatic win.
Rishad Hossain could have been Bangladesh’s hero. On a tricky batting pitch, he smashed 39 off just 14 balls and took 3 wickets — but even that wasn’t enough. His late onslaught against left-arm spinners Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein powered Bangladesh to a competitive total, yet he surprisingly wasn’t sent to bat in the Super Over.
West Indies made history earlier in the game by becoming the first team in ODI history to bowl all 50 overs with spin. All five of their spinners completed 10 overs each. Bangladesh bowled 42 overs of spin in reply — setting a new record with 92 combined overs of spin in a single ODI. The spin-heavy contest was finally decided in the Super Over.
Winning the toss, Bangladesh chose to bat. West Indies opened with spin from both ends for the first time in their history. Their first success came in the fifth over, courtesy of Akeal Hosein, who had joined the squad just hours earlier.
After 14 consecutive dot balls, Saif finally scored with a six — only to edge to slip next ball (6 off 16). Towhid Hridoy, batting at No. 3 for just the second time, struggled too, needing 10 balls to score his first run. Soumya Sarkar held firm but found little support.
Bangladesh managed 65 dot balls in the first 15 overs. Hridoy (12 off 19) fell to a rash slog, followed by Najmul Hossain Shanto (15 off 21) and Mahidul Islam Ankon (17 off 35), both gifting away their wickets.
Soumya anchored one end for more than 30 overs but eventually departed after scoring 45 off 89 balls — his slowest double-digit ODI innings with a strike rate of 50.56. Nasum Ahmed (14 off 26) couldn’t accelerate either. Nurul Hasan Sohan added 23 off 24 with two fours and a six, giving the innings a brief lift.
Then came Rishad’s fireworks. In the final two overs, Bangladesh added 34 runs — 33 of them from Rishad’s bat. He finished unbeaten on 39 from 14 balls with three sixes and as many fours, recording the highest strike rate (278.57) ever by a Bangladeshi in an ODI innings of 20+ runs. Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz remained not out on 32 off 58 balls.
Among West Indies’ spinners, part-timer Alick Athanaze stood out with 2 wickets for just 14 runs in 10 overs — the most economical spell ever by a spinner bowling a full quota against Bangladesh in ODIs.
Bangladesh began well with the ball too, as Nasum dismissed Brandon King in the opening over. Athanaze and Keacy Carty rebuilt with a fifty-run stand before Rishad turned the tide. He dismissed Athanaze (28) in his first over and later removed Carty (35) and debutant Akeem Auguste (17).
West Indies kept losing wickets regularly — Rutherford (7), Motie (15), Chase (6), all fell to the spinners. From 133/7, Shai Hope and Justin Greaves resurrected the innings. Despite batting at No. 9, Greaves played sensibly to support Hope until a direct hit from Miraz ran him out for 26.
Hope and Akeal Hosein then took the visitors to the brink. When Akeal smashed Miraz for six in the 48th over, West Indies looked favorites. But needing just five runs off the final over, Akeal lost his rhythm. Two dot balls, two singles, and then bowled while trying a big hit.
Needing three off the last ball, Pierre’s top edge went high — but Sohan’s dropped catch handed the match to fate. The result was a tie, and the Super Over saw West Indies triumph while Bangladesh were left heartbroken.
The series now stands level at 1–1, with the decider set for Thursday.
Match Summary
- Bangladesh: 213/7 (50 overs) – Soumya 45, Rishad 39*, Miraz 32*; Motie 3-65, Athanaze 2-14, Akeal 2-41.
- West Indies: 213/9 (50 overs) – Hope 53*, Carty 35, Greaves 26; Rishad 3-42, Tanvir 2-42, Nasum 2-38.
Result: Match tied, West Indies won the Super Over.
Series: Level 1–1.
Player of the Match: Shai Hope.
