West Indies suffered a nine-wicket clobbering at the hands of Bangladesh in the second One-Day International, marking their tenth straight loss and fourth consecutive bilateral series defeat to the Asian side here Wednesday.
Sent in at the Guyana National Stadium, West Indies slumped to their second lowest ever total against the Tigers – 108 all out off 35 overs – with all-rounder Keemo Paul top-scoring with an unbeaten 25 off 24 deliveries.
The innings were destroyed by off-spinner Mehidy Hasan, who snatched four for 29, while left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed claimed three for 19 from ten outstanding overs to be adjudged Man-of-the-Match.
Bangladesh hardly missed a step in reply, steaming to their target in the 21st over, captain Tamim Iqbal top-scoring with an unbeaten 50 off 62 deliveries, and Litton Das hitting a breezy 32 not out off just 27 balls.
The defeat for West Indies was their second in four days after going down by six wickets in the opening game at the same venue on Sunday.
“Tough, tough day – I don’t need to talk about it,” lamented a disappointed captain Nicholas Pooran.
“We didn’t show up as a batting group. We need to sit and chat about how we want to play ODI cricket, especially as a batting group.
“Obviously, the conditions didn’t help as well, but whenever we do get good batting conditions, we want to stamp our authority, bat properly, and continue to go in that vein.”
Sent in on another difficult strip, West Indies struggled from the outset, and the 27-run opening stand between Shai Hope (18) and Kyle Mayers (17) required 63 balls – a sign of the malaise to follow.
The left-handed Mayers was first to fall, bowled, playing down the wrong line to off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain in the 11th over, and Shamarh Brooks (5) also suffered a similar fate in the 14th misreading the line and finding his stumps rattled by Nasum.
Any hopes of a quick recovery were dashed when Nasum knocked over vice-captain Hope and Pooran (0) in the space of three balls in the 18th over.
First, the right-handed Hope bungled a slog-sweep and skied to short mid-wicket, and the left-handed Pooran followed soon afterward, dragging on a reverse sweep to the first delivery he faced.
Rovman Powell (13) attempted somewhat of a revival in a 25-run, fifth-wicket stand with the promoted Akeal Hosein (2), striking two fours off 19 balls.
However, Powell picked out mid-wicket in the 26th over with left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam and the rapid demise of Brandon King (11) and Hosein off successive deliveries in the 27th overall sealed West Indies’ fate.
King’s painful 44-ball stay at the crease ended when he missed a frustrated charge at Mehidy and was bowled, and Hosein was run out at the striker’s end to send West Indies tumbling to 72 for seven – a position from which they never recovered.
“When Shakib [Al Hasan] is here, [Nasum] doesn’t get a game, so I think he bowled unbelievably well. He used the conditions really well,” said Tamim.
West Indies needed early wickets in the run chase but failed to get any, Tamim lashing seven fours in posting 48 for the first wicket with Najmul Hossain, who made 20.
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie got Najmul to hole out in the 13th over, but Das arrived to punch half-dozen fours in, adding another 64 for the second wicket with Tamim, to steer Bangladesh to their small target.
and then 
If the late Tony Grieg was around and still playing test cricket, he would be licking his lips in glee at the state of West Indies cricket and would love to make this current squad of players grovel and crawl.
Their players in Tests matches, One Day Internationals and 20/20 are as thick as two short planks and couldn’t play a game of cricket if their lives really depended on it. Plus, they do not even warrant their status in world cricket and should therefore be removed immediately. I have to agree with Mark Nicholas’ comments on West Indies cricket, their players are without doubt completely “short of brains” in all departments.
Other countries around the world are practically laughing at the state of West Indies cricket. And they are taking full advantage of it, by making them look foolish by giving them a good hiding at the same time. West Indies cricket belongs to the gutter where they really came from. None of the current crop of players are even good enough to be in the top 10 of world cricket, never mind “Cricket’s Hall of Fame”. No wonder youngsters chose to be athletes instead, because of lack of ambition from WICB.
Since 2000 England have revelled in making West Indies grovel and long may it continue for the next million years or so. If and when they do tour England again, Ben Stokes and co will be ready for them. Ready to make them grovel and crawl like the insects they are.
The Australians have been laughing at West Indies cricket for a long time and have no respect for them whatsoever. They would sledge and humiliate them to the point that the players get scared and throw their wickets away or play badly in the out field. All of which is because the West Indies players are not tough enough and they are simply afraid of them. The Australians look at West Indies players as “trash!”.
Another country who don’t have any respect for them is South Africa. During their controversial apartheid years, they would look down their nose at people of colour. If this evil system was still in place today, they would definitely make all the West Indies players clean the toilets in the South African team locker rooms.
The West Indies batsmen are the worst in world cricket. They lack application and they are simply not good enough to be in the same mould as Greenidge, Haynes, Richards, Rowe, Lloyd, King, Murray and Kallicharran. Their bowlers are just as bad and are nowhere as good as the likes of Holding, Roberts, Garner, Croft, Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh and Patterson. These guys in the current squad really need to go back to school and practice because to be honest with you, they have not learned anything at all from anyone.
One last thing before I conclude my report is: when was the last time West Indies had a Gary Sobers in their side? Truly, there isn’t anyone in this current squad worthy of tying his shoe laces. As an outsider looking in, the West Indies Cricket board don’t have a clue what they are doing and simply don’t care about the future of their sport.
Media Correspondent
John VELOCIRAPTOR 3