The results have not been too consistent to make a real change to their figures, but West Indies’ sporadic triumphs in the format lately herald the coming of a better time, more so in home games. That West Indies defeated England 2-1 in ODIs twice in a year, first in December last year, and after that previous month, makes this prediction more strong. Those victories were not flukes. Far from it. And if anything, this should worry Bangladesh.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have the series defeat injury versus Afghanistan still fresh in memory. Though the last they lost a series against West Indies was nearly a decade ago, the hosts’ recent rejuvenation has dampened any sense of calm Bangladesh could have extracted from history. Nevertheless, whatever plan Bangladesh have to avoid another setback in this format, they can not afford to ignore the formidable hosts that await them.

Team Overview:

Mehidy Hasan Miraz will continue captaining his side again but would hope that things out of his control including the absence of key players like Mustafizur Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim, and of course, Najmul Hossain Shanto, would not hurt his side. Taskin Ahmed was phenomenal in the Tests and would be hoping to run the hard yards as the pace attack leader once more with Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, and Shoriful Islam following his strides. Soumya Sarkar’s return to the side after lifting the GSL trophy would further bolster the team’s morale.

West Indies have several important weapons in their arsenal including power-hitters, incredible spin finesse, and some young blood. But all of this needs some anchoring, and thats what they are short on. Shai Hope, for the longest time, played this all-important role for his side but his poor show of form means he could not be relied upon to do it again. However, no time would be more favorable for Hope to make a comeback than this series, especially since his side needs him the most. They have also included Amir Jangoo, the wicketkeeper batter who scored the highest runs in the Super50 cup recently. His wicketkeeping skills could take one thing off Hope’s plate to help him focus more on his batting, though such a change seems unlikely.

Head-to-Head Matches:

On 44 occasions that both sides faced each other in the ODI format, West Indies and Bangladesh have the same number of wins, which is 21. Two of these 44 games ended without any result. Both teams will be looking to break the tie in this game.

Weather and Pitch Report:

The last time an ODI was played at the Warner Parker was in 2018, when the same sides, West Indies and Bangladesh, met in the final ODI of a three-match series. The ground has a two-paced surface that makes batting a challenge here. As a batter, you should look to target the straight boundary since it’s the shortest one on this ground. All-in-all, the deck will offer plenty for both sides, if not a touch inclined towards the bowlers. The best time to bat would be at the start and so the toss-winning captain would look to bat first before the surface becomes too deadly for easy stroke making. The weather is expected to remain clear of the rain, but the winds will have an impact on the results eventually.

Prediction:

It’s difficult to say who is the better side but West Indies’ recent form as well as the home advantage will keep them above the visitors in the game.