West Indies win thriller to keep T20 World Cup hopes alive

Holders West Indies kept their hopes alive of retaining the title as they edged Bangladesh by three runs in a last-ball thriller for their first win in the Twenty20 World Cup on Friday.

Bangladesh needed 13 off the 20th over bowled by Andre Russell but fell just short on 139 for five in Sharjah to lose their third straight Super 12 match, all but ending their chances of the title.

Dwayne Bravo had struck a huge blow when he took the wicket of Bangladesh’s top scorer Liton Das, who was on 44, with the final ball of the 19th over.

West Indies win a thriller 🔥#T20WorldCup | #WIvBAN | https://t.co/G4S37FAlim pic.twitter.com/llFBJODbnK

— ICC (@ICC) October 29, 2021

Earlier Nicholas Pooran hit 40 off 22 deliveries to lift West Indies to 142 for seven after being sent in to bat.

Roston Chase scored 39 on his T20 debut as he and Pooran put on 57 runs for the fifth wicket to give the West Indies much-needed momentum in the final few overs.

Former captain Jason Holder hit two sixes in the 20th over in a five-ball 15 on his return to the team.

The Bangladesh bowlers had had the upper hand earlier in the innings removing the out of form Chris Gayle for four.

Mahedi Hasan, Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman took two wickets each.

Bangladesh started their reply cautiously with opening pair Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammed Naim kept in check by the West Indies bowlers.

Russell sent Shakib trudging back to the pavilion for nine after the batsman survived a dropped catch on the previous ball.

Holder bowled Naim in the next over to put Bangladesh on the backfoot and the Tigers slipped to 60-3 when Soumya Sarkar departed.

Das kept one end occupied and together with Mushfiqur Rahim kept them in the hunt for pulling off a win despite the asking rate increasing.

Ravi Rampaul broke the partnership after he bowled Mushfiqur, who failed to execute a scoop shot and the ball crashed onto the stumps.

Liton and skipper Mahmudullah Riyad took it almost down to the wire before the former departed and then Russell held his nerve in the final over to give the West Indies a crucial win after two losses.