Dhaka, Oct 24 (IANS) West Indies head coach Daren Sammy expressed disappointment after his team’s 2-1 ODI series defeat to Bangladesh, admitting that the visitors underperformed across departments despite some standout individual displays.

Bangladesh’s spinners completely outperformed their West Indian counterparts, claiming 27 wickets at an average of 14.66 and an economy rate of 3.80. In contrast, the West Indies spin attack managed just 18 wickets at 30.05 with an economy rate of 4.39. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and all-rounder Roston Chase struggled to make an impact, while even part-timer Alick Athanaze returned better figures than both in the second ODI.

Reflecting on the series, Sammy commended captain Shai Hope for his consistency and leadership but was critical of the team’s overall execution, particularly in the bowling department.

“(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,” Sammy said. “He is a leader. He puts the team on his back, but 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.”

Despite the spin-friendly conditions in Dhaka, Sammy made no excuses for the defeat and defended Bangladesh’s right to capitalise on their home advantage.

“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.

“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.”

The former West Indies captain also lamented his side’s sloppy fielding, highlighting dropped catches that proved costly in close situations. “We were poor in all three disciplines,” Sammy said. “I think we dropped six catches. Two didn’t go to hand and one was too wide. We were poor in all the departments today.”

There was, however, one bright spot for the visitors – the remarkable return of Akeal Hosein, who made an immediate impact after a two-year absence from the ODI side. Hosein took six wickets in two matches at an average of 13.66 and an economy rate of 4.10.

“Massive kudos to Akeal in the manner in which he came up,” Sammy said. “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.”

–IANS

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