Sherfane Rutherford belted an explosive 113 off 80 balls, getting West Indies back into this thrilling chase of 294 in a game where they managed to break an 11-match losing streak against Bangladesh in One Day Internationals. The win presented the hosts with an early advantage in the three-match series. The West Indians recovered from a slow start with maiden ODI century Rutherford’s and steady 86 by Shai Hope to successfully complete the highest successful chase at Warner Park in St Kitts.

Slow Start For West Indies But Hope & Rutherford Make It Steady

Requiring 164 off the last 120 balls for a victory, West Indies reached 130 for 3 at the end of 30 overs in this chase. Early on, Rutherford was slow as well with just 19 runs from 29 balls. Hope played a more tempered hand, adding an important 67 runs for the third wicket with Keacy Carty. But more pressure was sent onto the chase when Carty fell, caught at short mid-wicket off Rishad Hossain.

Despite the slow rate, Hope reached his 26th ODI fifty but the required rate was creeping up, pushing the West Indies to accelerate. The game changed momentum when Hope launched Mehidy Hasan Miraz for a six, and Rutherford came into his own, blasting boundaries.

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Rutherford’s Flurry of Boundaries Turns The Game Around

The man, who had started pretty slowly, began to shift gears in the 32nd over and took Miraz for a four and a six. Boundaries continued to pour in as he hammered the overs, getting his fifty off just 48 balls. West Indies’ chase gained momentum and didn’t slow down even after Hope was lost for a decent 86. Rutherford kept attacking, needing only 29 balls for his second fifty with two sixes off Taskin Ahmed.

Rutherford’s first ODI century came in the 47th over when he hit a couple of sixes off Soumya Sarkar. He fell shortly afterwards for 113, but West Indies still needed just six more runs which they reached in just 3.2 overs as Justin Greaves finished on 41 not out.

Bangladesh’s Strong Start Overshadowed By Late Surge

Bangladesh, who chose to bat first, posted a strong total of 294. Tanzid Hasan gave them a good start, scoring 60 off 60 balls, before Soumya Sarkar added another 19. After the fall of Litton Das, Tanzid and Miraz combined for a 79-run partnership for the third wicket, with Miraz anchoring the innings. He scored 74 off 101 balls, holding the middle order together.

Miraz’s dismissal in the 38th over made Bangladesh look in the backfoot, but experienced Mahmudullah and Jaker Ali led a brilliant late surge. The duo accumulated 96 runs in just 12.3 overs, including six sixes between them. Mahmudullah finished unbeaten on 50 from 44 balls, while Jaker fell for 48 off the penultimate delivery. Despite their efforts, Bangladesh’s total fell short as West Indies clinched a comfortable win with 14 balls to spare.

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A Historic Chase, Bangladesh Regrets On Missed Opportunities

Even though Bangladesh was off to a flying start with the bat, West Indies were just too aggressive in their chase, courtesy Rutherford and Hope, which Bangladesh could not withstand in the end, despite Mahmudullah and Jaker’s late fight. Visitors were not able to defend the total, and West Indies went on to take a one-match lead in the series.