West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein admitted he was taken aback when he first saw the spin-friendly pitch in Mirpur during the ongoing ODI series against Bangladesh. Having missed the opening match, he watched the first game on television and initially suspected a technical fault.
“The first thing I did was check my TV,” Akeal said. “The pitch looked completely black. I honestly thought something was wrong with the screen. It was definitely surprising.”
Called up as an emergency addition after seeing the spin-friendly conditions, Akeal joined the West Indies squad at 4am on Tuesday and played a key role in their one-run Super Over victory. He bowled his full quota of 10 overs, taking 2-41 in the main match, and contributed 16 off 17 balls at number ten.
Reflecting on the intense final over, he said: “It’s a tricky pitch. For the left-hander, my plan was to make him hit square because the square boundary was quite big. The ball jumps a bit, so I just tried to spin it from a good length and force the shot there.”
Akeal also shared his thoughts on the team’s approach on such wickets: “When you look at the surface, it makes little sense asking fast bowlers to expend effort. We have quality spinners, and discipline is key. Today, everyone stuck to the plan, stump-to-stump bowling, left-right combinations and it paid off.”
He praised the team’s resilience despite challenging conditions: “These wins bring the team together and build belief. A win is a win, and fighting hard to get over the line can only help us for the last game.”
Asked whether he felt frustrated for missing the first match, Akeal replied: “Not at all. I trust the selectors and management to make the right decisions. My focus is to enjoy the game and perform to the best of my ability. That’s all I can control.”
On the record-breaking spin-heavy match, he added with a smile: “We just broke our record today, 50 overs of spin. Where else do you see that? It was a lovely, nail-biting game, and that’s cricket.”
Looking ahead to the series decider, Akeal stressed the importance of execution: “The confidence in the camp is good. On pitches like this, you’re never safe until the job is finished. Whatever combination we play, it will be the best for that pitch to win the third ODI.”
