After a convincing six-wicket win over the touring Bangladesh U19 side in the first of the seven One Day Internationals on Monday the West Indies U-19 team will seek to go 2-0 up in the seven-match series today when the two teams collide in the second match at the Georgetown Cricket Club’s Bourda Ground.
The series between the two U19 teams will be played at various grounds across the country. The first game was played at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence and won by the Caribbean team.
Led by opening batsman Leroy Lugg’s aggressive half century and other vital contributions from wicket-keeper Tarrick Coleman and Jeremy Solozano, the West Indies hammered the tourists by six-wickets in all-round display of cricket.
Bangladesh, who looked well in their warm up game against a National U19 select squad last Saturday, looked clueless in their batting department in the first ODI. Their skipper Mehedi Husan Miraj who has a few runs under his belt so far, along with the inform batsmen Mossadek Hossain Saikat, wicket-keeper Uddin Jashim and who both struck commanding half-centuries in the warm up game, will need to knuckle down in their innings today.
The Asian team’s bowling unit has so far shown their ability to crank up the pace and to get purchase off the track from their slower bowlers.
Fast bowlers, Yasir Ali Chowdhury Rabbi and Abu Haider Rony have so far impressed with their pace and will seek to display the same firepower they did during the practice game and in the first ODI.
Their battery of slower bowlers including the captain Miraj, Zubair Hossain Likhon, Nazmul Hasan Shanto, Sadman Islam Anik and a few others, have been utilizing the conditions well, thus keeping themselves amongst the wickets.
On the other hand, the Caribbean team has plenty to brag about in both departments. Their fast men such as Windward Islands pacer Ray Jordan and his fellow quick bowler hailing from the Leeward Islands, Alzarri Joseph both showed maturity in their first ODI.
Joseph was the more destructive of the two as he ripped through the Bangladeshi line in his spell. He was a bit wayward in terms of his line, spraying a few wides but showed aggression and was on target most times.
Jordan was controlled yet effective in his spell and the two formed a dangerous duo of pace bowlers.
The slower bowlers led Guyanese Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai who spun the ball both ways will need to adapt to the change in venue today and put pressure on the tourists who looked at home against the local spinners in the practice match played at the same venue.
With five matches left excluding today’s encounter both young team’s will be aiming to either continue their winning ways or to shift the momentum and level the series. The match commences at 9:00hrs and admission is free.
