Winning the three-match ODI series 3-0 against West Indies has put Bangladesh at number 2 in the ODI World Cup Super League points table.
Australia are at the top with 40 points from four wins in six matches they've played. Tigers surpassed England after winning the third ODI against West Indies on Monday.
Also read: Bangabandhu ODI Series: Bangladesh whitewash West Indies
The top eight teams of ODI Super League points table will get direct entry to the World Cup 2023, including the hosts India.
In the final and third ODI, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad hit a half-century each to guide the team to a convincing victory by 120 runs.
Also read: West Indies ODI whitewash: Prime minister congratulates Tiger
Now, both teams will lock horns in a two-match Test series starting from February 3 in Chattogram. The second Test will be played in Dhaka from February 11.
Also read: Shakib only cricketer to score 6K runs, take 300 wickets in single country
Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has become the only cricketer in the world to score 6,000 runs and take 300 wickets in a single country.
He made a brilliant comeback to international cricket through the three-match ODI series against West Indies after serving a one year ban imposed by ICC for failing to report corrupt approaches.
Also read: People won't see me doing mistakes: Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib was adjudged man of the series scoring 113 runs and grabbing six wickets to make the comeback memorable in the series won by Tigers 3-0. He scored his career’s 28th half century (51 off 81 balls) in the third and last ODI in Chattogram on Monday.
Also read: Shakib creates history completing 5,000 T20 runs
With this match, Shakib emerged as the only cricketer in the world to score 6,000 plus (6,045) runs and grab 300 plus (336) wickets in three formats of cricket in any particular country.
Also read: Shakib takes four as WI tumble for 122
Earlier, former all-rounder, 1983 World Cup winning Indian captain Kapil Dev scored 4,158 runs and took 319 wickets in a single country.
Also read: Shakib: It'll be tough to repeat old form
Shakib is the third Bangladeshi cricketer to score 6,000 runs in international cricket on home ground in three formats of cricket after Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal.
Also read: ICC bans Shakib from all forms of cricket for 2 years
Superb all-round performance helped Bangladesh register a 3-0 victory over touring West Indies in the Bangabandhu Cricket Series.
Tigers beat the Caribbeans by 120 runs in the final ODI of the series on Monday at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. It is the second time Bangladesh registered whitewash wins over West Indies in ODI.
Mushfiqur Rahim scored a quickfire 64 and grabbed four catches behind the wicket to win the man of the match award. Shakib Al Hasan got the man of the series award for his outstanding performance in the comeback series after a one-year ban imposed by cricket’s governing body. He scored 113 runs and grabbed six wickets in the series.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina extended her heartiest felicitation to Bangladesh Cricket Team for their series win against West Indies.
She hoped that the team will continue their winning trend through tough practice.
With three wins, Bangladesh secured 30 points in the World Cup Super League. Bangladesh are now at number two in the points table right after Australia.
Bangladesh lost the toss and were sent to bat first. They posted 297 for six, the highest at the port city venue, riding on the fifties by four mainstays. In reply, West Indies tumbled for 177 in 44.2 overs.
Rovman Powell scored 47, the highest for the tourists, while Nkrumah Bonner and Raymon Reifer scored 31 and 27 respectively.
For Bangladesh, Mohammad Saifuddin bagged three wickets conceding 51 runs in nine overs while Mustafizur Rahman and Mehidy Hasan Miraz scalped two each. Taskin Ahmed, who returned to ODI after a long gap, took one wicket.
Also read: Tigers seal ODI series with a comprehensive win
Earlier, West Indies removed Liton Das in the first over, but Tamim Iqbal, Shakib, Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur each hit a fifty to propel the Tigers to a big total.
Along the way, Tigers surpassed their previous total of 288 runs at this venue.
Mushfqiur hit 64 off 55 while Mahmudullah was unbeaten at 64 off 43 balls with three sixes and as many fours. Tamim posted 64 off 80 balls with three fours and one six while Shakib added 51 off 81 with three fours.
This is the second time Tamim, Shakib, Mushfiqur and Mahmudulla hit a fifty each in a single ODI innings. Overall, it’s only the third time when four or more Bangladeshi batsmen scored 50 or more in a single ODI innings.
Also read: West Indies’ poor show continues
The two previous occasions were in 2014 and 2015.
Tamim and Shakib were to slow to score on Chattogram pitch where scoring runs is easier than Dhaka.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, who is batting at number three in this series, disappointed once again. He got a chance to take the field early in this game but failed to capitalise the chance as he fell prey to Kyle Mayers after scoring 20 off 30 balls. In the first two games, he went out for 1 and 11.
Also read: Bangladesh beat West Indies in low-scoring affair
For West Indies, Alzarri Joseph was the best bowler taking two wickets conceding 48 runs in 10 over while Raymon Reifer bagged two conceding 61 in 10 overs. Keon Harding, who got his ODI cap in this game, gave away 88 runs and made an unexpected record— giving most runs in ODI debut for West Indies.
Now, both teams will take on each other in a two-match Test series starting February 3 in Chattogram. Before that, West Indies will play a three-day practice game in the port city starting from January 29 at MA Aziz Stadium. The second Test of the series will be played in Dhaka from February 11.
Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad came up with quick 50s to propel the Tigers to 297 against the West Indies in the final ODI of Bangabandhu Cricket Series on Monday.
The Tigers surpassed their previous total of 288 runs at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
Also read: Bangladesh asked to bat first; two changes in starting XI
Mushfqiur hit 64 off 55 while Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on 64 off 43 balls with three sixes and fours.
And Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan also hit a 50. Tamim scored 64 off 80 balls with three fours and one six while Shakib added 51 off 81 with three fours.
This was the second time when Tamim, Shakib, Mushfiqur and Mahmudulla hit a 50 in a single ODI.
Overall, it was only the third time when four or more Bangladeshi batsmen scored 50 or more in a single ODI.
However, Tamim and Shakib were slow to score in the soil of Chattogram where making runs is easier than Dhaka.
Also read: WI-BD 3rd ODI: Only Super League points to play for in Ctg
Najmul Hossain Shanto, who is batting at number three in this series, disappointed once again. He came to the crease early as Liton Das had been removed in the first over of the match.
However, Shanto failed to capitalise the chance as he fell prey to Kyle Mayers, only scoring 20 off 30 balls. He managed to score 1 and 11 in the first two games.
For the West Indies, Alzarri Joseph was the best bowler taking two wickets for 48 runs in 10 over while Raymon Reifer also bagged two conceding 61 in 10 overs.
Debutant Keon Harding gave away 88 runs, the most expensive figure by a Caribbean bowler on debut.
Also Read: BD v WI: First sighting of Tigers in 10 months
However, no team won an ODI chasing more than 286 runs at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. So the West Indians will have to make a record to win the last match of the series.
Pakistan has retained six uncapped players in its squad of 17 for Tuesday’s first Test against South Africa in Karachi.
Three rookie batsmen — Kamran Ghulam, Abdullah Shafique and Salman Ali Agha — will remain with the team, but the Pakistan Cricket Board said they will not be considered for selection.
The selectors had initially announced 20 players for the two-test series but trimmed the squad to 17 for the first Test at the National Stadium on Sunday.
Aslo read: South Africa in Pakistan for 1st Test series since 2007
The second test will be played at Rawalpindi from Feb. 8 and will be followed by a three-match Twenty20 series at Lahore from Feb. 11-14.
The six uncapped players include opening batsman Imran Butt, middle-order batsman Saud Shakeel, spinners Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan and fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Tabish Khan.
“We know the home conditions and we have a chance here to play good cricket and win,” Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said during a virtual press conference on Sunday.
Pakistan has lost only two out of 44 Test matches played at the National Stadium and one of those defeats came against South Africa when it last toured in 2007. England is the only other team that has won in Karachi when it beat Pakistan by six wickets in 2000.
Opening batsman Abid Ali, captain Babar Azam and Azhar Ali all scored centuries against Sri Lanka in the last test match here in December 2019 when Pakistan won by 263 runs.
Misbah said Pakistan has to rectify its shortcomings in fielding to beat South Africa. Without the injured Babar, Pakistan lost a recent test series 2-0 in New Zealand when it dropped more than half a dozen catches.
“Of course I am not satisfied (with the performance in New Zealand), we have to improve it,” Misbah said.
The head coach and bowling coach Waqar Younis were summoned by the PCB’s cricket committee earlier this month and gave the coaching staff another opportunity to turn around the fortunes of the team in the home series against South Africa.
Since Misbah and Waqar took over in 2019, Pakistan won home Test series against Sri Lanka and also won a Test match at Rawalpindi against Bangladesh. However, they have a poor touring record, losing test series in Australia, England and New Zealand.
But Misbah appeared unconcerned about whether his three-year contract with the PCB would continue if Pakistan struggles against South Africa.
“I have played cricket under pressure throughout my life,” Misbah said.
“I know only one thing ‘keep concentrating on what’s in your end’ and I am not thinking about what’s going to happen (after the series against South Africa).”
Squad:
Babar Azam (captain), Abid Ali, Imran Butt, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Yasir Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Tabish Khan.