Hosein wants top order batsmen to come good in decisive ODI

West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein has called on the team’s top order batsmen to show up to the party in the third and decisive One Day International (ODI) against Bangladesh on Thursday.

The regional side survived a close encounter in the second ODI on Tuesday, where they needed a Super Over to secure a one-run victory over the home side and tie the three-match series at 1-1.

In both matches, the West Indies seemed on course for victory with set batters at the crease, but collapsed.

Chasing 208 for victory in the opening ODI, they were 79 for one at one stage, but lost their last nine wickets for just 54 runs to eventually lose by 74 runs.

The Windies also suffered a similar slump in the second ODI, crashing from 82 for two to 133 for seven, before captain Shai Hope’s unbeaten half century, along with Justin Greaves’ knock of 26 and Hosein’s 16, helped them to level the scores at 213 and force a Super Over.

Hosein, who only joined the squad on Tuesday morning as a replacement for the injured Jediah Blades, said the team could not continue to rely so heavily on the lower order for runs.

“I won’t say that we have cracked the code. I think we need to show a lot more batsmanship, especially from the top half. It’s quite a difficult job to ask the lower order to hang in against some good spinners and obviously it’s a fairly used ball as well,” Hosein said in a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“So I think we need to learn from this game. We looked like we had it covered from early on and we just took it for granted and allowed them to get back into the game. That’s one wrong that we have to fix and I think that once we do that and we can set up the game, hopefully we can win that third one.”

Hosein said the fact that they held their nerves and maintained their composure at the end of the match and in the Super Over to come away with a victory, had given them a boost of confidence heading into the final match of the series.

However, he warned against complacency in a match that offered crucial points for both teams seeking automatic qualification to the 2027 ICC Men’s World Cup.

“These wins do a lot for the team, you know, it brings them together, it makes everyone believe and at the end of the day, a win is a win. I think that these wins that we scrape and fight as a unit to get over the line can only do wonders for the team.

“I think the confidence in the camp is good, it’s just about execution. We all know where we went wrong and for us it’s just about executing the right things for as long as possible,” Hosein said.

“I think on these sorts of pitches, you’re never really in until you finish the job . . . . If you are in, you take it straight to the end and bring that game home for the team. Don’t leave it up for anyone else.”

In regards to tactics for the final ODI, Hosein said he didn’t expect much to change.

For the first time in their ODI history, the West Indies bowled 50 consecutive overs of spin against Bangladesh in the match.

“When you look at a surface and what it’s doing, it makes little sense asking your fast bowlers to run up and exert that kind of effort. We do have several quality spinners… [Athanaze] goes down as a part-timer, but at the end of the day, discipline is key . . . he stuck to the plan . . . and it paid off,” Hosein said.

(BTR)