West Indies Vs Bangladesh 2021 Series Review: Young West Indies Rises Again In the East
West Indies Vs Bangladesh 2021 Series Review.
Amidst the India Vs England series, the Pakistan Super League, and IPL Auctions around the corner, this series was not really supposed to be the marquee series. In hindsight, this series will be remembered forever due to the extraordinary feats of Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner.
As Ian Bishop exclaimed, “These men have achieved what many thought was impossible.”
There were other moments as well during the series—Shakib Al Hasan’s much anticipated return, Rovman Powell’s ODI resurgence, Mehidy Hasan Miraz & Mominul’s tons, and finally, the new West Indian ‘engine room’—Jermaine Blackwood, Bonner, Mayers, Joshua Da Silva, and Alzarri Joseph.
*Note: Underlined & Bolded links are videos. Underlined without bold are links to other articles.
Results – Bangladesh Vs West Indies
ODI Series: Bangladesh Win 3 – 0
* Player of Match
- Bangladesh won by 6 wickets Shakib Al Hasan*
- Bangladesh won by 7 wickets – Mehidy Hasan Miraz*
- Bangladesh won by 120 runs – Mushfiqur Rahim*
| Player of Series | (Bangladesh) Shakib Al Hasan 113 runs (1 – 50), 6 wickets (best of 4/8) | West Indies |
| Most Runs | Tamim Iqbal – 158 runs | Rovman Powell – 116 runs |
| Most Wickets | Mehidy Hasan Miraz – 7 wickets | Akeal Hosein – 4 wickets |
Test Series: West Indies Win 2-0
- West Indies won by 3 wickets – Kyle Mayers*
- West Indies won by 17 runs – Rakheem Cornwall*
| Player of Series | Bangladesh | West Indies Nkrumah Bonner 231 runs (2 – 50s, best of 90) |
| Most Runs | Liton Das – 200 runs (2 – 50s, best of 71) | Kyle Mayers – 261 runs (1- 100, best of 210*) |
| Most Wickets | Taijul Islam – 12 wickets (best of 4/36 & 8/144 match) | Rakheem Cornwall – 14 wickets (best of 5/74 & 9/179 match) |
The Highlights
West Indies
ODIs
- The West Indies batting underwhelmed in the ODIs with scorecards that read 5-56 (122 all out), 8-88 (148 all out), 6-117 (177 all out). Questions will be asked for the second string squad & the necessity of mental health breaks during COVID, but the Test series saved those questions for now.
- In all the collapses, one batsman stood out—Rovman Powell. 28, 41, & 47 briefly resurrected the West Indies’ innings, but he would want to convert those in the near future.
- With not many runs on the board, only Akeal Hosein stood out with a 3-wicket haul.
Tests
- Rakheem Cornwall joins the party. Ever since his international selection, questions have always surrounded him – whether it is his fitness or batting ability. 14 wickets in the series and great slip catches will ensure he stays in the squad for a while now.
- Time to talk about the debutants—Kyle Mayers & Nkrumah Bonner. The talk of the town. Debuting at the age of 28, his maturity was on-spot with a 40 and a 4th innings 210*. Mind blowing. Successful chase of 396 with a partnership of 216. Although Bonner did not scale the heights of a century, he contributed in both matches with 17 & 86 and 90 & 38.
- With the glory surrounding Mayers & Bonner, Joshua Da Silva has quietly emerged as a solid middle order option for the West Indies. Scores of 42, 20, 92, & 20 did not light the world on fire, but the partnerships surely did (99, 100, 88, 118).
- Alzarri Joseph is turning out to be a gem for the West Indies. After his 86 against New Zealand recently, he came up with a 82 in Bangladesh. Future fast-bowling all rounder?
Bangladesh
ODIs
- Tamim Iqbal’s batting has been effective without being flashy, unlike the pre-2015 Iqbal. A senior top-order batsman & now captain, he was responsible with scores of 44, 50, & 64. With 7360 runs in ODI, he is definitely Bangladesh’s all-time best ODI batsman. And he is only 31.
- Shakib Al Hasan’s return to cricket after his 1 year ban was seamless. 4/8 in the first ODI, player of the match, and player of the series. Unfortunately, the injury cut his Test series short. Next place? IPL with KKR. What a steal (Although he is skipping the Sri Lanka Test series).
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz is the next all-rounder in line after Shakib Al Hasan. Already a star, he regularly contributes with the bat and ball. In the ODI series, he was the highest wicket taker.
Also Read: Bangladesh Fab 5 – Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad
Tests
- Speaking of Mehidy Hasan, Test match batting. 103, 57, & 31 – losing cause but kept his shoulders high.
- Liton Das, another budding youngster, has largely underwhelmed in his short career so far. Averages of 28.62, 30.97, & 22.71 in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, does not justify his talent. Pretty 20s and 30s are not going to get you too far in international cricket, but scores of 69, 38, 71, & 22 show growing signs of maturity for Liton Das.
- Captain Mominul Haque quelled the voices around him with a second innings 115 in the first Test. 3048 runs at 41.18 with 10 centuries and best of 181 is a decent record, but he needs to play more of these “captain’s innings.”
We like to spice things up with our own awards for the series. Here they are:
| Bangladesh | West Indies | |
| Emerging Player | Mehidy Hasan Miraj, the Test batsman | Joshua Da Silva & Ian Bishop’s commentary |
| Surprise Package | Liton Das | Rakheem Cornwall |
| Broken Cricket Dream | Shakib Al Hasan (injured) | Jason Holder’s captaincy (Braithwaite permanent?) |
Who would have been your Emerging Player for the West Indies Vs Bangladesh 2021 series? Surprise Player? Broken Cricket Dream? Let us know below WITH COMMENTS! Also please subscribe!
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Where Do They Go From Here?
Bangladesh
Bangladesh will fly to New Zealand for 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs. Then they will tour Sri Lanka in April to complete the twice postponed WTC series.
West Indies
West Indies will tour Sri Lanka for a T20I series. Returns for Chris Gayle (who cut his PSL campaign short for international return) and Fidel Edwards (Kolpak deals end with Brexit). Definitely looking like a side who is willing to go for their 3rd World T20 World Cup title.
Gayle even said he will try to play cricket till 45. Wow. GOAT.
In the New Zealand Vs West Indies Series Review, we questioned if the sun has set on West Indies cricket? In Bangladesh, a young West Indies rose in the east.
