Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain produced a sensational spell of 6 for 35, the best-ever figures by a Bangladesh spinner in ODIs, as the hosts thumped West Indies by 74 runs in the first One-day International at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday.
Rishad Spins A Web
Defending a modest total of 207 all out, Bangladesh bundled out the visitors for 133, thanks to the 23-year-old’s career-best performance. Rishad’s six-wicket haul was also the first five-for by a Bangladesh leg-spinner in ODIs, making it a landmark day for the young spinner.
His figures are now second only to those of pacers Mashrafe Mortaza (6-26 vs Kenya, 2006) and Rubel Hossain (6-26 vs New Zealand, 2012) among Bangladesh’s best in ODI history.
“We Believed We Could Come Back Strongly”
Skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz lauded his side’s resilience after a string of winless outings.
We played the last five matches but couldn’t win, but we believed that we could come back strongly. This is very important for us. The boys played really well, especially considering we haven’t played many ODIs recently.
He also credited the top and middle order for laying the foundation.
Credit to the batters — Shanto and Hridoy — and to the debutant; he was calm and played the situation well. In the end, it was a great knock by Rishad.
Bangladesh Fight Back With The Bat
The hosts endured a poor start, losing both openers Saif Hassan and Soumya Sarkar for just eight runs inside three overs. But Najmul Hossain Shanto (32) and Towhid Hridoy (51 off 90) steadied the innings with a 71-run partnership for the third wicket. Debutant Mahidul Islam Ankon chipped in with a composed 46 to help Bangladesh reach 207.
Windies Falter Under Pressure
For the visitors, Brandon King top-scored with 44, but the rest of the batting line-up crumbled against Rishad’s relentless spin. Mustafizur Rahman offered solid support, claiming 2 for 16.
Tough one. We’ve got two days to turn it around. They bowled really well in the middle period and stopped the flow of runs. It’s important we take the learnings and come back stronger. On a surface like that, you’re never really in; we’ve got to adjust, adapt, and find ways to beat Bangladesh.
What’s Next
The second and third ODIs will be played at the same venue on October 21 and 23.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 207 all out in 44.4 overs (Towhid Hridoy 51, Mahidul Islam Ankon 46, Najmul Hossain Shanto 32; Jayden Seales 3-48, Roston Chase 2-30) West Indies 133 all out in 39 overs (Brandon King 44, Alick Athanaze 27; Rishad Hossain 6-35, Mustafizur Rahman 2-16). Bangladesh won by 74 runs
