Tigers seek happy ending in Sylhet

Shai Hope's brilliance has shifted all cricketing focus from the hustle and bustle of Dhaka to the relative peace and quiet of Sylhet, where the three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and West Indies will be decided in the final game tomorrow.

West Indies opener Hope hit a sublime 146 to single-handedly take West Indies across the finish line in the second game on Tuesday, reviving the tourists' flagging spirits in a tour that has seen them beaten handily in every match up to that point.

While Bangladesh would ideally have wanted to come to Sylhet with the series in the bag and eyeing their second successive home whitewash after blanking Zimbabwe in October, there is reason enough to be upbeat ahead of the last game. Their superiority over the opposition can still be said to be intact as, apart from Hope, none of the rest of the West Indies batting lineup registered substantial scores.

Particularly our fast bowlers need to improve a bit as we were unable to bowl well in the slog overs in the last few games. So I think if we are able to improve those areas it will be good for us. Obviously our batters are doing well and we need to continue that. But I think we are still in the series and the last game is a do-or-die for us and we have always done well in such situations in the past. --- Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh all-rounder

The teams reached Sylhet in the evening yesterday and spent the rest of the day relaxing in their rooms and the hosts are expected to have a practice session in the evening today, which will end under the lights of the picturesque Sylhet International Stadium.

Other than winning the series Bangladesh will have another score to settle at the venue -- having lost its inaugural Test last month against Zimbabwe, the Tigers would love to win the venue's first ODI and mark a happy end to a good year in ODIs.