Old ghosts of Mirpur watch as Tigers rewrite familiar tales

Bangla Press Desk: “We are back in the 2010s again.”

That remark came from a Bangladesh batter inside the BCB gym on Saturday, as the national side faced West Indies in the opening game of the three-match ODI series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

If you think about it, the comment makes perfect sense. The player went on to explain it with a grin:

“Look at the wicket! It’s black, just like it used to be. Batters are playing for 200-220. That kind of score used to be enough to win an ODI or two. Back then we had Shakib bhai and Raz bhai, both bowling on pitches like this,” he said with amusement.

The logic was hard to argue with, especially coming from someone who grew up watching ODI cricket in Mirpur during his teenage years—idolising those gritty Bangladesh sides that fought for par totals and then defended them through top-class spin bowling.

On Saturday, Mirpur truly felt like a throwback to that era. The match evoked memories of old-school Bangladesh ODI cricket—on a day that also marked the format’s return to the venue after nearly two years, at a time when the Tigers desperately needed to reclaim some pride in 50-over cricket.

Coming into the series, Bangladesh were under considerable pressure, having lost four ODI series in a row. Skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz, too, was feeling the heat, with nine defeats in his 10 games as captain.

So Bangladesh decided to revisit their old winning formula: prepare turning, low-bounce wickets, post a par score, and then spin a web around the opposition.

The first part of that plan followed the script to perfection.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 207 in 49.4 overs in the series opener against West Indies at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. The total marked Bangladesh’s lowest at home in 11 years while batting for as many overs (49.4).

After being sent in on a tricky wicket, the hosts suffered an early collapse, slipping to 8 for 2 in just 2.1 overs as both openers departed cheaply. Saif Hasan (3) was trapped leg-before by Romario Shepherd while playing across the line, and Soumya Sarkar (4) pushed a full-length delivery straight to point off Jayden Seales.

Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy then steadied the innings, adding 71 runs off 120 balls for the third wicket. Shanto, who made 32 off 63 balls with three boundaries, was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Khary Pierre in the 23rd over, bringing debutant Mahidul Islam Ankon to the crease.

Ankon joined Hridoy to add another 36 runs as Hridoy reached his 11th ODI half-century. However, his innings ended on 51 off 90 balls (3 fours) when Justin Greaves found his outside edge with a wide delivery in the 35th over.

Ankon went on to play a composed knock of 46 and shared a 43-run stand with captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz (17 off 27) before both were dismissed by off-spinner Roston Chase while trying to accelerate late in the innings.

Rishad Hossain provided some late fireworks with a quickfire 26 off 13 balls, hitting one four and two sixes at a strike rate of 200 to take Bangladesh past 200. Tanvir Islam also chipped in with a six to aid the total.

Jayden Seales was the most successful bowler with three wickets, while Khary Pierre had the biggest impact through his miserly spell—conceding just 19 runs for one wicket at an economy rate of 1.90, the third-best by a visiting spinner on Bangladeshi soil, which also brought back old memories. This article was originally published on the Daily Sun.

BP/ZE