At long last, the long wait is over. Bangladesh clinched an ODI series victory after 19 months. On Thursday, at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s team crushed West Indies by a massive margin of 179 runs in the third and final ODI. With this dominant win, the hosts sealed the three-match series 2–1.

Bangladesh’s last ODI series victory came back in March 2024, at home against Sri Lanka. Since then, they had lost four consecutive 50-over series. Finally, after a year and a half, the Tigers returned to winning ways, breaking their streak of failures.

Winning the toss and batting first, Bangladesh posted 296 runs in 50 overs. The opening partnership between Soumya Sarkar and Saif Hassan gave the team a solid start. Soumya, who scored 91 off 86 balls, was named Player of the Match, while Saif added a sparkling 80 off 72 deliveries. Later, Najmul Hossain Shanto (44) and Towhid Hridoy (28) carried the momentum through the middle overs. For West Indies, Akeal Hosein was the standout bowler, picking up four wickets.

Chasing a target of 297, the Caribbean batters completely collapsed against Bangladesh’s spin trio. Nasum Ahmed bowled brilliantly, taking 3 wickets for just 11 runs in 6 overs. Rishad Hossain claimed 3 wickets in 9 overs, while Tanvir Islam picked up 2. The entire West Indies team was bundled out for only 117 runs.

For his all-round brilliance throughout the series — 12 wickets and 68 runs in three matches — Rishad Hossain was named Player of the Series.

After the match, captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz said,

“In recent months, our batting wasn’t up to the mark. We all decided to play with a positive mindset. The way Soumya and Saif gave us the start — that was the turning point. Everyone took responsibility, and this victory belongs to the whole team.”

An emotional Soumya Sarkar, who made a strong comeback to the national team, said,

“Coming back wasn’t easy. I worked really hard, and got immense support from my family and fans. This innings will surely boost my confidence.”

With this victory, Bangladesh finally ended their streak of four consecutive series losses in 50-over cricket. Miraz’s men celebrated joyfully in Mirpur after defeating West Indies — regaining their long-lost confidence.

Next up, the three-match T20 series between Bangladesh and West Indies begins on Monday in Chattogram, marking the start of the 20-over battle.