Visiting Bangladesh will eye a win to avoid a possible series defeat when they take on host West Indies in the second match of the three-game T20I series at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida in the USA Saturday. The game is scheduled to begin at 6am, Bangladesh Standard Time, Sunday.
Bangladesh are 1-0 down in the series after losing the first game by seven wickets at Warner Park in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis Tuesday in a rain-affected affair. To keep the series alive, the Tigers have no option but to put a massive effort on the field.
Tigers’ T20I captain Shakib al Hasan is expecting the Bangladeshi expats in the area and surrounding States will boost the side against the Windies. Bangladesh are going to play their first international game in Florida and the fact should excite the cricketers, said Shakib.
Ace all-rounder Shakib is the only member in the Bangladesh dressing room to have experience of playing at the venue, the only stadium in America with international status, granted by the ICC. The last international cricket match held here was between the West Indies and India in August 2016.
.@Sah75official speaks ahead of the second T20I against West Indies on August 5 at Lauderhill, Florida, USA. pic.twitter.com/dopmJBzaeT
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) August 3, 2018
Shakib bagged the experience of the playing at the venue during his appearance for Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League T20 2017.
“It should be exciting for everyone playing at this venue for the first time. I am expecting a big Bangladeshi crowd to back us. Hope it will be an exciting time ahead in the two matches and the crowd will boost the team confidence," said Shakib to the media in Florida Thursday.
Despite his experience at the venue, Shakib is unsure of how the wicket will behave. According to the Bangladesh Test and T20I skipper, the wicket looked different from the last time he played here almost two years ago.
“Tough to say at this moment. The wicket looks a lot different from when I played a CPL game here. We will get to know how it is when we practise. We are practising on the side wicket so there should not be much difference,” said Shakib.
Bangladesh team practice session ahead of the second T20I. pic.twitter.com/CO5lSFvFeU
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) August 3, 2018
Bangladesh will have to rectify their batting mistakes, which cost them the last game, in order to keep their hope alive in the series. The Tigers had a good start in the game in St Kitts, only to get derailed in the latter half of the innings and finish with a below-par score of 144.
The target for the West Indies was later revised to 91 in 11 overs due to rain. Explosive Windies batsmen later chased down the target with 11 balls to spare for the loss of three wickets.
“We had the opportunity to score big in the last game but failed due to several reasons. It will be possible for us to put some more runs on the board if we can improve in those areas. And if the wicket behaves like the one in St Kitts, it will be possible for us to put a big score on the board if we bat first,” Shakib explained.