BAN vs WI | Spinners should be licking their lips in Bangladesh but we were very poor, laments Sammy

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West Indies head coach Darren Sammy was critical of his bowlers' performances after they lost a three-match ODI series in Bangladesh with a 179-rout in the final encounter. Sammy offered no blame on the nature of pitches while heaping praise on Shai Hope and Akeal Hosein for being the standouts.

Darren Sammy admitted West Indies' spinners did not excel the way they should have on Bangladesh tracks in the three-match ODI series

West Indies lost their fourth successive bilateral ODI series in Bangladesh in Mirpur on Friday as they tumbled out for 117 in pursuit of a daunting target of 297. The Caribbean outfit last won a series in the country in 2011, and have since won just four bilateral ODIs in Bangladesh while losing 10. Head coach Darren Sammy placed the blame on his spinners for failing to capitalize on heavily spin-friendly conditions, as his slower bowlers ended the series with 18 wickets at an economy of 4.40 compared to 27 scalps for their counterparts at 3.80.

In the first ODI, it was Jayden Seales who did the most damage with three wickets before Rishad Hossain helped the hosts defend 207 with ease by running through the Windies batting unit with six scalps. Part-time spinner Alick Athanaze was then the standout spinner in the subsequent game, producing figures of 2/14 in 10 overs, followed by Bangladesh smashing a series high 296/8 in the series finale.

"I am really disappointed in the way we bowled. You come to Bangladesh and you know spinners should be licking their lips. That's the area where you will get to execute your plans and in the most favorable conditions for you. What we displayed over the last three games was very poor, not consistent enough," Sammy was quoted saying in the post-match press conference.

The pitches for the series came under the scanner in the second ODI when the visitors became the first team in history to bowl all 50 overs of spin in an ODI, before their rivals responded with 42 overs of spin too to lodge the game in the record books. The trend has been typical to Bangladesh in recent years across all three formats of the game barring a few exceptions, such as some decks in Sylhet, but it is a strategy that has brought the Tigers considerable success including series wins against India, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka since 2022 alone.

"I will tell you this, I always want to ask for home advantage. I can't tell the Bangladesh team or the authorities what wicket to prepare. I focus on my team having the skillset to counteract whatever comes when they are playing away," Sammy said of the situation.

"This series was very important for both teams. You are supposed to do what you have to do to win at home. That's the most important thing. Whether that affects your development going outside of Bangladesh, that's on them. I just thought my players just didn't play well throughout the series."

Gudakesh Motie was by far the most expensive spinner in the series, conceding his runs at 5.78 when no other spinner went at even close to five an over. Fellow left-arm orthodox Khary Pierre also endured a less than fruitful return to the ODI setup, managing just a solitary wicket across 30 overs bowled in three games. Akeal Hosein was the clear standout specialist for the Men in Maroon, despite joining the squad just a few hours before the second ODI at 4 AM, making his first ODI appearance in two years with six wickets in two games at an economy of 4.10.

"Massive kudos to Akeal in the manner in which he came up. In a team where you have three left-arm spinners and a guy who's been out for the last two years coming in and outshine them, yes there's a place for competition. That's what you want in a team. You don't want to select guys because they have nobody else to replace them. You want to select guys because they have competition, and what Akeal did in this series is definitely going to challenge some of the guys who've been there," Sammy said of the 32-year-old.

Amongst the batters, Shai Hope led the chart for the West Indies with 72 runs in three outings, including an unbeaten 53 in a tricky 214-run chase in the second ODI that forced a Super Over that his team eventually won.

‌"[The positive in the ODI series was] probably the batting of Shai Hope - how he continues to put the team on his back every time he faces a challenge. He is a leader. He puts the team on his back," Sammy said of his skipper.

West Indies will now take on Banglades in three T20Is in Chattogram, beginning October 27.