Fri 17 Oct ’25 by KRISSANIA YOUNG
West Indies have maintained a perfect checkered ODI record since failing to advance in the 2023 World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe. Nine bilateral series contested, four won, four lost and one draw.
With seventeen months to go in the qualifying cycle for the 2027 edition of the World Cup, the Caribbean team occupies the last automatic spot in the fourteen-team showpiece, with ninth place in the standings. Bangladesh, their next opponent, is one place lower in tenth.
Predictably, the focus ahead of the start of the three-match series on Saturday was on how quickly the visitors can adapt to the conditions at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. According to coach Daren Sammy, his team has an advantage in that area. Thanks to their just-concluded Test series in India, which he describes as “the closest conditions you can get” to those in Bangladesh.
West Indies have not won an ODI series in Bangladesh since 2011 and were swept 3-0 on their last trip in 2021, but Sammy says his team is ready. “From what I have seen, it is going to be a challenge here in Bangladesh,” he began. However, the St. Lucian further stated that it is “a challenge that I believe my team is well prepared for.”
The teams faced different fortunes in their most recent outings. West Indies got their World Cup hopes back on track with a 2-1 win over Pakistan at home in August; while Bangladesh suffered a disheartening 3-0 defeat to visiting Afghanistan a few weeks ago.
Windies skipper Shai Hope believes the past will have little bearing on the upcoming series. He said: “Regardless of the previous results, whether it was a long time ago or just in the recent past, it is still important to play cricket on that day.” His sentiments were echoed by Sammy. ‘As the captain said, it is [about] how you play on the day and how you execute some of the skills required to be successful [in Bangladesh].”
Windies’ last ODI assignment in the subcontinent was a 2-1 series loss to Sri Lanka in October 2024, where Sammy argued that the hosts ‘responded’ to the opening match by preparing spin throws for the matches that followed. He emphasized that his team deserved credit for forcing Sri Lanka to change their game plan, calling the series defeat a ‘moral victory’.
Sammy changes his tone. This time, he says the expectation that his team will win will remain regardless of the nature of the wicket. “What I can tell you is that we don’t let the pitch play out in our minds. You still have to assess the circumstances you face, decide what skills are needed to be successful, and then back yourself in the execution.”
The first ODI kicks off at 3:30 am Eastern Caribbean Time (2:30 am in Jamaica).
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