Fireworks all around as WI seal T20Is

There was a rain of sixes from Evin Lewis, a strong comeback from the Bangladesh bowling attack, chaos over a no-ball decision which stopped play for nearly eight minutes and eventually Keemo Paul's five-wicket haul as the West Indies clinched the three-match T20I series with a comfortable 50-run win in the decisive third match in Mirpur yesterday.

After a brilliant bowling show at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium had restricted the West Indies to 190, wayward batting and the controversial no-ball decision turned the game on its head and saw the hosts, who were eventually bundled out for 140 with three overs to spare, finish the year on a losing note.

Bangladesh replied well after Tamim departed cheaply for eight, but the previous game's half-centurion, Liton Das, continued his fine run. The right-hander struck two sixes and a four before the no-ball controversy in an Oshane Thomas over that yielded 30 runs.

The no-ball call from on-field umpire Tanvir Ahmed came off the penultimate ball of the fourth over. Liton went for a big shot but could only manage to hand a catch to the fielder at mid-off but things got heated after the giant screen showed that the Thomas' foot was just behind the line, irking the visiting cricketers.

West Indies skipper Carlos Brathwaite was screaming in anger at the umpire and even signalled for a review as things heated up at the home of Bangladesh cricket. He then went near the boundary and had a conversation with the match referee before eventually relenting and resuming the game with the decision upheld.

Soumya Sarkar supported Liton and the two maintained a fast tempo till the fourth over, with the hosts cruising  on 62 for one.

However, while the West Indies players got charged up, the Bangladesh batsmen kept gifting away their wickets.

Soumya was the first to depart, being caught off Fabian Allen at long-on for nine. Shakib Al Hasan departed off the very next ball in similar fashion, also caught trying to clear long-on.

Paul then took over, removing Mushfiqur Rahim (1), Mahmudullah Riyad (11) and Liton, who hit a 25-ball 43 with three six and as many fours before the Tigers helplessly surrendered at the end.

Earlier, it was Lewis who took on the Tigers' bowling after the visitors were sent in to bat.

The hard-hitting 27-year-old smote four sixes off pacer Abu Hider in the third over which cost 27 runs before registering his fifty off just 18 balls -- the third fastest T20I fifty by a West Indies batsman.

Things seemed like getting out of hand with Lewis on a roll and the West Indies on 120 for two in nine overs, but Mahmudullah pulled things back with some sensible bowling and removed the dangerous Lewis, who hit a scorching 36-ball 89 with eight sixes and six fours, with his second ball.

The experienced cricketer grabbed two more wickets to finish with figures of three for 18 from 3.2 overs as the hosts staged a comeback. The visitors could add just 21 runs from the last five overs before being bundled out for 190 with four balls to spare.

Apart from Mahmudullah, skipper Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman bagged three wickets each but both were expensive.