The first T20I between Bangladesh and West Indies at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram turned into a gripping contest as the visitors held their nerve to secure a 16-run victory. Under the lights, Rovman Powell’s composed captaincy, combined with a power-packed display from Shai Hope and the disciplined death bowling from the Caribbean attack, ensured West Indies took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Despite flashes of brilliance from Bangladesh’s lower order, the hosts struggled to build lasting partnerships, falling short of the 166-run target with two balls remaining. The match also saw intermittent delays, including a brief floodlight failure, but that did little to dampen the West Indies’ rhythm on a humid Chattogram night.

Shai Hope and Rovman Powell lead West Indies to competitive total

After winning the toss and opting to bat, the West Indies innings revolved around the mature brilliance of Hope (46 off 28) and captain Powell (44 off 28), whose unbeaten 83-run stand for the fourth wicket gave the visitors a commanding total of 165/3 in 20 overs. Earlier, openers Alick Athanaze (34 off 27) and Brandon King (33 off 36) provided a steady foundation before Taskin Ahmed’s twin strikes threatened to pull things back for Bangladesh.

However, Hope and Powell counter-attacked with clean hitting in the final overs, taking full advantage of Bangladesh’s inconsistent bowling lengths. Hope mixed elegant timing with brute force, smashing four sixes, while Powell’s late onslaught included a series of powerful hits straight down the ground. Taskin remained the standout bowler with figures of 2 for 36, but his efforts were undermined by Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Rishad Hossain, who leaked 87 runs in their eight overs combined.

Bangladesh falter despite Tanzim Sakib’s resistance

Chasing 166, Bangladesh’s innings never quite found rhythm as the West Indies bowlers struck early and maintained relentless pressure throughout. Jayden Seales (3/32) and Jason Holder (3/31) shared six wickets between them, breaking partnerships just as Bangladesh seemed to rebuild. The hosts’ top order crumbled to 41/4 inside the powerplay, with Saif Hassan, Litton Das, and Shamim Hossain failing to convert starts.

It was Tanzim Hasan Sakib (33 off 27) and Nasum Ahmed (20 off 13) who revived faint hopes with a spirited counterattack, reducing the equation to 49 needed off the final 24 balls. However, once Holder dismissed Sakib with a slower delivery and Powell took a stunning relay catch to remove Nasum, the chase unraveled quickly. Romario Shepherd sealed the game by dismissing Taskin Ahmed with a hit-wicket in the penultimate over, restricting Bangladesh to 149 all out in 19.4 overs. Akeal Hosein’s economical spell of 2 for 22 played a key role in stifling the run flow during the middle overs.

A