Images from the T20 World Cup match between West Indies and Bangladesh, in Sharjah, on Friday.
The West Indies kept alive their slender hopes of making the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup with a thrilling three-run victory over Bangladesh in a Super 12s match, in Sharjah, on Friday.
The defeat knocked Bangladesh out of the reckoning.
Asked to bat first for the third consecutive match in the tournament, the defending champions recovered from a poor start to post 142 for 7, thanks to Nicholas Pooran's 40 off 22 balls, which included four sixes and a four.
The wicketkeeper-batter was well-supported in his rescue act by Roston Chase, who scored a vital 39 on his T20 International debut.
In reply, Bangladesh could score 139 for 5, as all the West indies bowlers picked a wicket each.
Winless after three matches, Bangladesh are of the semis race, while the West Indies can still sneak into the semi-finals, provided they win their remaining matches and other results go in their favour.
Like the West Indies, Bangladesh had a bd start, losing openers Mohammad Naim (17) and Shakib Al Hasan (9), who was limping, in the first six overs. But they gradually raised the momentum with wicketkeeper-batter Liton Das (44 off 43) taking the initiative.
West Indies were sloppy in the field as Bangladesh earlier on. The two-time champions were also guilty of missing as many as three run-out opportunities.
With 50 need off the last six overs and six wickets in hand, skipper Mahmudullah (31 not out) and Das appeared well in control to pull it off, converting ones into twos while also hitting boundaries regularly.
However, Dwayne Bravo (1/36) produced a miserly 17th over, giving away just three runs.
Off the first ball of the penultimate over he was hit for a six by Mahmudullah, but the veteran all-rounder proved his mettle by getting rid of danger-man Das with his last delivery.
With 13 needed from the last over, Mahmudullah failed to clear the boundary even once despite being dropped by substitute Andre Fletcher off the fourth ball before the equation was down to four off the last delivery.
But Andre Russell (1/29) bowled a gem of a delivery, full outside off-stump, to deny Mahmudullah any chance to free his arms and seal a close win for the West Indies.
Earlier, Bangladesh produced a disciplined bowling effort, but Pooran's final flourish enabled the defending champions post 142 for 7.
Asked to set a target for the third consecutive time in the tournament, the West Indies batters struggled to get going on a sluggish track before Pooran scored a gutsy 40 off 22 balls to get much-needed runs on the board.
The wicketkeeper-batter hit four sixes and a four.
Roston Chase (39), making his T20 international debut, was the other chief contributor with the bat.
Spinner Mahedi Hasan (2 for 27), Mustafizur Rahman (2 for 43) and Shoriful Islam (2 for 20) were Bangladesh’s main wicket-takers.
Aware of the West Indies struggle against spin, Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah handed the ball to off-spinner Hasan to open the innings. The strategy put pressure on the Caribbean team is the must-win game for both sides.
After a few overs of pace, which saw Evin Lewis (6 off 9 balls) being dismissed by Mustafizur to the last ball of the third over, bringing back spin in the fifth over paid immediate dividends as Hasan got the big wicket of Chris Gayle (4).
The left-hander, who had survived a run-out chance, was foxed by Hasan's off-spin, edging the ball onto his stumps.
Bangladesh gave away just 29 runs while picking two wickets in the Powerplay.
In his next over, right after he put down Chase off his bowling, Hasan snared Shimron Hetmyer's (9) wicket.
Kieron Pollard (14 not out) and Chase tried to repair the innings before the skipper retired ill in the 13th over.
The reasons for his walking out at that stage were not clear, but he came back in the final over to hit a last-ball six after seven batters from his side were packed off.
Off the very next delivery, Andre Russell (0) was run-out without facing a ball as things went from bad to worse for the West Indies as they were reduced to 62 for 4 in the 13th over.
Ahmed got his toe to a Chase drive and the ball deflected onto the stumps. Russell was out at the non-striker's end without facing a single delivery.
Thereon the West Indies got some rub of the green when Chase was dropped once again by Hasan at deep mid-wicket before Bangladesh missed a stumping opportunity against Pooran.
The momentum slightly changed in the West Indies; favour as Chase and Pooran plundered 14 runs off the 15th over.
Pooran continued the assault, hammering Shakib for back-to-back sixes.
Jason Holder too pitched in with a five-ball 15 to give the West Indies a fighting total.
