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West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales reflected on his Player of the Match performance in the second ODI against Bangladesh with a mix of humility and pride after his career-best 4-22 helped the Caribbean side to an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The 23-year-old’s spell, complemented by spinner Gudakesh Motie’s 2-36, restricted Bangladesh to 227 in 45.5 overs, while the West Indies batting lineup then showcased its strength and comfortably chased down the target with seven wickets in hand in just 36.5 overs.
For Seales, the performance marked a day to remember as his ODI record had drawn some scrutiny leading up to the match.
“It feels really good knowing that I could put in a performance to help the team win. I was pleased with the way the boys handled themselves with the ball and then finished it off with the bat,” Seales said after Tuesday’s contest at Warner Park in St Kitts.
“I’m thankful to the selectors for keeping faith in me. My ODI record isn’t the greatest, but it’s something I’m working on, and I’m focused on trying to keep getting better for the team and to do well,” he added.
Seales, who was thrust into a leadership role in the absence of Alzarri Joseph, rose to the occasion, delivering a disciplined and impactful spell that dismantled Bangladesh’s top and middle order.
“It was just about hitting my lines and lengths, forcing the batsmen to make mistakes, and as you can see, it paid off in the end,” he noted.
Seales’ standout performance ensured the West Indies avoided the familiar pitfall of losing momentum after a series-opening win. The most recent one was against England, where they lost the second contest and won the third to top that series 2-1.
“That was something we spoke about coming into this series,” he admitted.
“We’ve been in situations before where we win the first game but let the second one slip and then have to play like a final for the third one. So to get over the line was something that we worked really hard on, and getting the job done was a pleasant feeling for all of us,” Seales noted.
Unlike Bangladesh, who won the toss and opted to bat first in the opening contest, the West Indies decision to bowl first proved decisive, and Seales revealed the strategy behind it.
“We know typically here in the Caribbean that the pitches normally have a bit of moisture in them in the morning. So in the first game, we were surprised that Bangladesh chose to bat. We actually wanted to bowl first. So it's not really a secret, but it's just that we know in the Caribbean there's always the early morning moisture, and we wanted to make the most of the conditions,” Seales shared.
Despite his starring role, Seales remained grounded as he looked ahead to Thursday’s final contest.
“No one comes into a game thinking they’ll be Player of the Match. They would be more focused on just going and putting in a good performance for the team, and I'm very happy and thankful that I could do the job for the team,” the Trinidad and Tobago stalwart ended.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Brook becomes number one Test batter in the world
Harry Brook has leapfrogged team-mate Joe Root in the world rankings to become the number one Test batter.
The 25-year-old has impressed for England against New Zealand in the current series, helping them to a 2-0 unassailable lead.
Brook, who was labelled as the "best in the world" by Root after sealing the win over New Zealand, scored 171 in the first Test before following it up with scores of 123 and 55 in the second in Wellington.
He now has seven centuries in just 10 Tests away from home, the most by any batter in his first 10 such outings outside of their home country.
Across the 38 innings he has played in 23 Tests since making his debut in 2022, he has scored 2,280 runs.
His ranking score is now 898, one better than Root's 897, but he remains clear of third-place Kane Williamson, who he replaced at the top of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) rankings earlier this year.
Jasprit Bumrah remained top of the rankings in the bowler charts, though Pat Cummins made up some ground, moving up one place to fifth after taking seven wickets in the second Test of Australia's series against India.
Ravindra Jadeja also held onto top spot in the all-around rankings, and holds a healthy lead of 131 over second place, now held by Mehidy Hasan, who moved up two places.
West Indies wrap up Bangladesh ODI series inside two matches
West Indies eased to a seven-wicket victory against Bangladesh in St. Kitts that, in turn, sealed their series victory with one match to go.
The hosts were inspired by a career-best bowling performance from Jayden Seales (4-22), which helped skittle Bangladesh for 227.
Seales took three wickets early on before Gudakesh Motie (2-36) helped ensure the tourists were unable to build any momentum.
The foundation of Bangladesh's total came from a 92-run partnership between Mamdullah (62) and Tanzim Hasan (45) for the eighth wicket.
Prior to that, West Indies had reduced Bangladesh to 115-7 and were in danger of running riot. Roston Chase ended the stand when he caught Tanzim off his own bowling in the 44th over.
After the switchover, opener Brandon King (82) hit five boundaries in the first seven overs on the way to top-scoring for the home side. Number two Evin Lewis (49) was also able to do his bit in the pair's second 100-run partnership of the calendar year.
While Lewis was eventually caught and bowled by Rishad Hossain one short of his half-century, Keacy Carty (45) and Sherfane Rutherford (24) topped up the runs to confirm the victory inside 37 overs.
Data debrief: West Indies seal historic win
While West Indies broke Bangladesh's 11-match ODI winning streak in the first match, this one confirmed their first series win against them in 10 years.
But the tourists did their best to stay in the game, with their 92-run partnership on the eighth wicket a new record.
Ultimately though, it was the early wickets and 4-22 figures of Seales that did the damage.
Miller and Linde get South Africa over the line in Pakistan thriller
South Africa beat Pakistan by 11 runs in the first of three T20Is in Durban, with David Miller smashing 82 runs before George Linde took centre-stage with the ball.
Miller's knock came from just 40 balls faced and featured four fours and eight maximums, ensuring the hosts recovered from a lacklustre start that left them teetering at 28-3.
Abrar Ahmed had taken two wickets in the opening four overs and later added a third, while Shaheen Shah Afridi recorded figures of 3-22 as the Proteas were bowled out for 183.
However, much of the damage was done by Miller, the high point of his knock coming when he pounded three successive sixes off Abrar's bowling in the 10th over.
While he ultimately succumbed to Afridi's slow ball, his fine knock – and 48 off 24 balls for Linde – gave South Africa a respectable total to defend.
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan made 74 off 62 balls and lasted the entire 20 overs after opening, but he received little support from elsewhere – Saim Ayub's 31 being the tourists' next-best score as seven of their batters finished in single figures.
Rizwan finally fell to Kwena Maphaka at the death with Pakistan needing 18 runs from the last five balls, after Linde had teed up South Africa's success with figures of 4-21.
Data Debrief: Miller downs favourite opponents once more
It is fair to say Miller enjoys facing Pakistan in the 20-over format. He has now scored 359 runs against them in T20Is overall.
This was just the Proteas' second victory in their last seven T20Is against Pakistan, and their first since April 2021, and they will have a chance to seal a series success in Centurion on Friday.
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