Deadline: May 17, 2019 at 3:15 PM IST
Venue: The Village, Dublin
Pitch and conditions
After the washout last Thursday at The Village, the rain has not interrupted the play. The weather forecast says that the dark clouds will loom over throughout the day, but even if it rains, it won’t pour down heavily. There is indeed some silver lining in the dark cloud.
The pitch will continue to remain good for batting. There will be lateral movement but only until the ball has its shine intact. So pick your fantasy cricket team wisely.
Probable XI for Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar/Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Abu Jayed, Rubel Hossain/Mustafizur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Mohammad Saifuddin
Shakib Al Hasan retired hurt after scoring a fifty in the last match. He complained about side strain. Bangladesh are likely to rest him.
Probable XI for West Indies: Shai Hope (wk), Sunil Ambris, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Jonathan Carter, Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Ashley Nurse, Raymon Reifer/Shanon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell
Fantasy team
We have opted for a fantasy team on the basis of players’ impact, recent performances, and credit points.
Note that you can now change your team after the toss. You can also check players’ performances in the last 5 matches. Tap on the players’ names to get the data while making your fantasy team.
My XI: Shai Hope (c & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Sunil Ambris, Liton Das, Roston Chase, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza, Sunil Ambris (vc), Shanon Gabriel
Bangladesh’s preparation for the 2019 World Cup could not have been more perfect. The batters are scoring hundreds, bowlers are taking five-wicket hauls, and fielders are taking spectacular catches – all this away from home and in conditions that aren’t familiar to them. The ball swings significantly for pacers, but the hard wicket in this part of the world does not assist spinners. Ideally they should struggle, but they aren’t the team they once were. They have gone through hardships and uncertainties. When they reach England, they will be brimming with confidence. They know England will dish out easier pitches to bat on for the benefit of their own team. But before that, they have one last task to accomplish: remain defeatless in the series and win the final against West Indies.
West Indies had levelled the ODI series at home against England, the No. 1 team in the format, riding on Chris Gayle’s domination. For the tri-series, the selectors kept Gayle out, making sure he gets enough rest. Andre Russell, player of the tournament in IPL 2019, was added in the World Cup squad but not for the tri-series. It would not matter much if they lose in the final, but their performances, despite playing without Gayle and Russell, have been commendable. They put up 300-plus score twice against Ireland and were competitive against Bangladesh.
Bangladesh are clear favourites to win the final, but West Indies have a reputation of springing surprises every now and then.
Power players
With 396 runs in a mere 4 matches, Shai Hope is the highest run-scorer of the series. He has smashed 2 hundreds and a fifty. His opening partner, Sunil Ambris, is at the second spot with 209 runs.
For Bangladesh, Tamim Iqbal’s 158 runs are the most. Shakib Al Hasan has been equally effective, scoring 18 runs fewer than Tamim. In all, five Bangladesh batters have scored fifties.
Ashley Nurse aces the bowling chart, having scalped 7 wickets at 26.7, while Mustafizur Rahman, Shanon Gabriel, and Mashrafe Mortaza have taken 6 wickets each.
Abe Jayed, who was playing only his second ODI, ended up taking a stunning five-for in the previous match against Ireland. He figures out what lengths to bowl in such conditions after going wicketless on his debut.
Also get to know the tips & tricks on how to play fantasy cricket.
