WI vs BAN, ICC World Cup 2019: Hope, Hetmyer power Windies to 321/8 against Bangladesh

For Windies, Hope top-scored with 96 while Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis smashed brilliant half-centuries to power the two time champions to a formidable 321/7 against Bangladesh

Shai Hope's 96 and some power-hitting from Hetmyer (50) and Holder (33) helped West Indies post 321/8 in 50 overs against Bangladesh. Hope top-scored with 96 while Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis smashed brilliant half-centuries. For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman (3/59)  and Mohammad Saifuddin (3/72)  both took three wickets, while Shakib Al Hasan (2/54) took two. Windies did not had a very pleasant start to their innings after they lost Chris Gayle (0) early and could manage only 32 runs in the first powerplay. But things took a big turn when the Windies batsmen decided to switch gears and the two-time champions seemed to post a 350-plus score. Hope stitched a 116-run partnership with Evin Lewis (70) for the second wicket before adding another 83 runs with Hetmyer (50 off 26 balls). However, Bangladesh bowled brilliantly to tie things up a bit in the last five overs, which yielded just 33 for loss of one wicket. After Gayle’s departure, Lewis and Hope then brought up the team hundred in 22.4 overs. The left-handed opener then exploded, smashing successive fours off Shakib before sending one from the bowler out of the park in his next over. But Shakib returned to dismiss Lewis, having him caught at long-off as West Indies slipped to 122 for two. Hope then completed his fifty in 75 balls but new man Nicholas Pooran (25) could not stay longer as WI lost their third wicket in the 33rd over. That brought Hetmyer to the crease and he took the Bangladesh bowlers to the cleaners, smashing four boundaries and three sixes in his 26-ball whirlwind innings. Once Hetmyer was back to the hut, captain Jason Holder blasted 33 off 15 balls with the help of four hits to the fence and two sixes to keep the flow of runs but West Indies lost their way after he was dismissed in the 44th over. Hope too holed out in the 47th over.