Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz acknowledged that the Super Over situation was a new challenge for his team, expressing regret over the absence of a boundary that could have altered the outcome in their narrow loss to the West Indies in the second ODI in Mirpur on Tuesday. Despite posting a competitive total of 213-7 fueled by Rishad Hossain’s quickfire 39 off 14 balls, Bangladesh stumbled in their maiden Super Over appearance, allowing the West Indies to draw level in the three-match series.
The pivotal moment leading to the Super Over was a costly mistake made by wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan Sohan, who missed a catch off the final delivery of the 50th over bowled by Saif Hassan, giving Khary Pierre a lifeline to complete a double and force the game into the tie-breaker.
In the high-pressure Super Over, the West Indies set a target of 10 runs, with Shai Hope contributing an unbeaten seven off three deliveries and Sherfane Rutherford chipping in with three off two balls. Bangladesh, despite benefiting from extras like wides, a no-ball, and a leg bye, could not capitalize on the chances. Soumya Sarkar managed three runs off three deliveries, Saif Hassan scored two off three, and Najmul Hossain Shanto scrambled a leg bye. The Tigers fell short of the target, needing three off the final ball to secure victory.
Reflecting on the match, Miraz remarked, “It was a new experience for us – the first Super Over. I think it was a challenging pitch to bat on. Rishad is in good form currently. All the batters struggled, but he showed confidence and batted superbly. In the Super Over, we needed 10 [11], and a single boundary could have made a difference.”
Earlier in the game, Soumya Sarkar top-scored for Bangladesh with 45 runs off 89 balls, including three boundaries and a six. Shanto contributed 15 off 21 deliveries, while Saif managed six off 16. Rishad’s aggressive innings prevented Bangladesh from posting a below-par total.
West Indies captain Shai Hope led the run chase with a composed half-century, scoring 53 off 67 balls to help the visitors match Bangladesh’s total of 213 runs.
The thrilling contest saw the West Indies needing five runs off the final over. Saif bowled two dot balls before conceding a single. Hope and Akeal Hosein, who was facing his first delivery of the match, rotated the strike, leaving Pierre to face the last ball with three runs needed. Pierre’s top edge towards square leg created chaos as Sohan missed the catch, allowing the batsmen to complete a couple and take the game into the Super Over.
The two teams will clash again in the series decider on Thursday at the same venue.