Fri Oct 31, 2025 08:00 AM
Last update on: Fri Oct 31, 2025 08:00 AM
Samsul Arefin Khan from Chattogram
Fri Oct 31, 2025 08:00 AM Last update on: Fri Oct 31, 2025 08:00 AM
Bangladesh players react after losing the second and penultimate T20I against West Indies in Chattogram on October 29, 2025. Photo: Firoz Ahmed
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Bangladesh players react after losing the second and penultimate T20I against West Indies in Chattogram on October 29, 2025. Photo: Firoz Ahmed
Bangladesh will take the field today at the Bir Sreshtha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram, desperate to avoid a rare 3-0 clean sweep at home as they face West Indies in the final T20I of the series.
Coming into the contest on the back of four successive T20I series wins, the Tigers’ sudden slump has been both unexpected and alarming.
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Consecutive defeats in the opening two matches handed them their first series loss in this format since their 3-0 whitewash against Pakistan earlier this year.
However, this time, the disappointment has come on home turf, where Bangladesh have been a formidable force in recent years.
Since their 3-0 home series defeat to Pakistan in 2021, Bangladesh had built a solid record, winning six of their last seven T20I series and securing 17 victories in 23 home matches.
That success had painted the Tigers as a vastly improved short-format side, capable of dominating familiar conditions. But the ongoing West Indies series has exposed cracks — especially in their batting — that once again threaten to derail their progress.
In what is considered one of the best batting surfaces in Bangladesh, the hosts’ inability to chase modest targets of 166 and 150 in the first two matches has raised serious concerns.
Despite the dew factor aiding stroke play and several dropped catches from the visitors, Bangladesh’s batting lineup looked timid and tactically lost. The absence of any 50-run stand across both games underlined their lack of partnerships, composure, and situational awareness.
The recurring middle-order collapses, questionable shot selections, and failure to rotate strike have all highlighted a worrying lack of adaptability — particularly against disciplined bowling and subtle pressure scenarios.
The batters’ struggles also nullified the efforts of a bowling unit that has performed admirably throughout the series.
Led by Mustafizur Rahman’s controlled spells and supported by others, Bangladesh’s bowlers managed to restrict the West Indies from posting huge totals. They struck at crucial intervals and gave the team every chance to stay competitive — only for the batting to undo their work.
As the series heads into its final chapter, the focus will firmly be on whether Bangladesh’s batters can rise to the occasion and salvage pride.
A 3-0 defeat at home would not just be a statistical setback but a psychological blow for a side that had been rediscovering its rhythm in the shortest format and will go into another major tournament — the ICC T20 World Cup — in just three months’ time.
