It's a batsman's game after all. For all the excitement around Keemo Paul's fifer, it's eventually Evin Lewis who'll go home with the cash price for his 89 that set it all up. Yeah, that was some carnage even the people choosing the MoM haven't really recovered from.
Keemo Paul's fifer followed up Lewis' blitz with the bat to help Windies seal the series © AFP
ALL OVER. Mehidy Hasan and Abu Hider kept the interest alive with some lusty blows for the ninth-wicket, but alas, it was way too little, way too late. The Windies redeem themselves for the battering they took in the ODIs and the Tests with the T20Is --2-1 it'll remain.
Paul on a roll
Bangladesh continued to gift their wickets away. And Keemo Paul was the beneficiary. The all rounder bagged four scalps including that of Liton Das, the lynchpin. Hara-kiri from the hosts.
Paul then dislodged Saifudin was a short ball. Paul is on a roll. He now has five wickets to his name.
Wickets now!
However, after Das crunched the free hit for a six, the hosts lost the wickets of both Sarkar and Shakib via consecutive balls. The home side seemed to have lost that flow. Allen was the bowler.
The Windies are pumped up now Paul dismisses Rahim. Action, action and more action in the middle.
Phew! Controversy erupts
Liton Das took Oshane Thomas to the cleaners. He smashed the big fast bowler for three sixes and two boundaries in a single over!
But then there was plenty of drama. For the second time in the over, the on field umpire erroneously adjudged Oshane had bowled a no ball. And Liton lifted the delivery straight to the fielder at mid off.
Carlos Brathwaite saw it on the big screen that Oshane hadn't overstepped. And he asked for the review. After replays, it was initially decided that the batsman was out. But Liton stood in the middle and there was confusion over the interpretation of the law. Brathwaite, the captain, lost his cool and had a long discussion with Jeff Crowe, the match referee. Rawl Lewis, Mushtaq and Reifer from the Windies support staff joined in the discussion.
Eventually, Brathwaite calmed down and after a huddle decided to play on. It has to be noted that once the on field umpire adjudges it as a no ball, it can't be reviewed. And that was also official line from the match referee. Phew! That is some drama.
Rules...
3.1.1 A player may request a review of any decision taken by the on-field umpires concerning whether or not a batsman is dismissed, with the exception of 'Timed Out' (Player Review).
3.1.2 No other decisions made by the umpires are eligible for a Player Review with the exception of Fair Catch/Bump Ball (even after the third umpire has been consulted and the decision communicated)
Action and drama
Thomas extracted bounce to trouble Bangladesh's but bowled a couple of no balls. One of the free hits Liton deposited it into the stands.
But in a curious way, those extra deliveries also resulted in a wicket. Tamim, the mainstay of the batting unit, was run out on the back of an excellent throw from Powell!
191 to win
This has been a major collapse from the Windies. At 122 for 2, the visitors looked set to amass a total well in excess of 200. But they suffered a collapse and were bowled out for 190 in the final over.
Shakib, Mustafizur and Mahmudullah shared nine spoils between them. Earlier, Lewis sent Bangladesh on a leather hunt by thwacking as many as eight in his innings of 89. However, once he was castled by Mahmullah, the tourists lost the plot.
Windies slide further
Mustafizur followed up Mahmudullah by dismissing both Pooran and Brathwaite, who has been struggling for form. The visitors have dipped to 178 for 7 from 122 for 2. Remember, the dew is set to play a part...
Mahmudullah strikes again
Pooran continued where Lewis left off by clubbing sixes. Just in the nick of time, Mahmudullah, however, prised out Powell. The batting all rounder has taken three scalps so far.
Mahmudullah derails Windies
Just when Lewis looked set to crunch his fourth T20I hundred, Mahmudullah cleaned up the southpaw batsman. End of a splendid innings, where he showcased brute power sprinkled with a pinch of deft touch. Huge wicket for Bangladesh.
Mahmudullah then struck via the very next ball by dismissing the dangerous Hetmyer. The left-handed batsman took a review for an LBW but to no avail. The Windies have suddenly lost four wickets. That is the beauty of a T20 game as the course of a match can change within an over or even two deliveries.
Deft touch...
Lewis now showing some finesse too. Fizz decided to bowl from round the wicket to change the angle. Lewis, however, showed a bit of deft touch in the midst of all those massive hits by opening the bat face and steering a couple of fours via the backward point region. Bangladesh just searching for answers to stop theLewis-Express.
Mayhem in Dhaka
Athar Ali Khan is excited in the commentary box and says, "humongous". It was indeed a monstrous hit from Lewis. He swatted a pull over midwicket off Saifuddin that cleared the fence with ease. Already six sixes for Lewis. Mayhem in Dhaka.
At the other end, Paul, who was promoted up the order, fell to Mustafizur. But Bangladesh have to find a way to dislodge Lewis. The one-man army.
Lewis-Express
Finally a wicket
Eventually, it was the captain, Shakib, who again led from the front by cleaning up Hope with a tossed up ball. Hope attempted a slog sweep but could only hear the death rattle.
Fluffed chance
Mehidy was introduced into the attack and even he was taken to the cleaners. To make matters worse for Bangladesh, Hider fluffed an easy chance at midwicket. And the batsman who got lucky was none other than Lewis. Oh, Hider perhaps would be happy to be somewhere else at the moment.
Meanwhile, Lewis reached his fifty in a mere 18 balls. Six-hitting exhibition.
Lewis on fire
Lewis began in his trademark fashion with a pick-up shot over square leg and it raced to the fence. Hope, who has been in sublime touch, joined in the fun by depositing Saifuddin through covers. Good start for the visitors.
Meanwhile, Lewis continued to show his hitting prowess with four sixes over long off for the maximum!!! Hider was the bowler to suffer. He is looking in ominous touch. Remember, Lewis played for Barisal Bulls and had even cracked a ton in one of the BPL games.
47 after just 3 overs!! On the other hand, poor bowling from Hider as he kept bowling in the arc.
Pitch Report: "It's the same pitch. We won't get as many runs today as we had during the second T20I. It's a tired pitch. It will be slower and will turn due to the dryness," analyses Tino Mawoyo
Bangladesh win crucial toss
The hosts have won a crucial toss and opted to field. The dew is expected to play a major role later on in the match. Sherfane Rutherford, the big hitter, earns his maiden T20I cap from Reifer, the assistant coach. He can give it a tonk.
Teams:
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mahmudullah, Ariful Haque, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan, Abu Hider Rony, Mustafizur Rahman
Windies (Playing XI): Evin Lewis, Shai Hope(w), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite(c), Fabian Allen, Keemo Paul, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas
Build up:
One-all after two games. And the final game of the series to be the decider. The limited overs rubbers between the Windies and Bangladesh in the Caribbean and the Asian nation have witnessed a similar pattern. Just that the visitors would look to reverse the trend by winning the final match to clinch the series.
Can the Carlos Brathwaite-led Windies cross the final hurdle or will Shakib continue to inspire the Asian side with his game-changing performances? We will have all the action in a while.