The Caribbean islands is one of the few destinations where Bangladesh have tasted success in both Test and limited-overs format. Their first oversees Test series win, famous victories against India and South Africa in 2007 World Cup have all come here.
When Bangladesh last toured Caribbean they not only clinched the Test series, but also won the ODI series 3-0, against a third-string West Indies team. Since then a lot has changed and the Caribbean Islanders are heading into the series with a strong squad, featuring Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo.
Still, the Tigers will be drawing confidence from their past success in this part of the world. Among the current lot, seven players have toured the West Indies before, while the likes of Shamsur Rahman, Anamul Haque and Sohag Gazi have travelled with the A squad.
The visitors have experience of playing in the Caribbean conditions, but lack of consistency hurts them every time. Tamim Iqbal, in particular, at the top has struggled lately and if Bangladesh are thinking of winning the three-match ODI series, they want their opener to be in a good shape.
Another setback of the Mushfiqur Rahim-led side is the absence of all-rounder Shakib-al-Hasan, who is banned for six-month because of disciplinary issues. Shakib has been their stronghold and his absence in the series, starting today in Grenada, will surely affect the touring party.
"He has been our best player in the last eight to ten years," Mushfiqur said. "Of course we will miss him. The series will be a difficult one without Shakib. But in our last series, against India, some new young players have stepped up. This is yet another opportunity to have a closer look at them before the World Cup."
Bangladesh registered a thumping win in the practice game against Grenada, with Tamim scoring a fifty while Mashrafe Mortaza picked three wickets. However, playing against the likes of Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul and Sunil Narine will be a different ball game altogether.
"It is going to be a big challenge for us but the boys are up for it, they are hungry and ready to do well," the Bangladesh captain said. "We are not a strong team on paper, but if we do well in the field and execute the plans, then hopefully it will be a great series for us."
The Windies skipper, Bravo is happy with his bowling combination, as apart from Roach and Rampaul, Jason Holder and Jerome Taylor are also fit and insisted that he has a balanced outfit.
"I'm happy all those players are fit and available for selection. It makes the competition within the team tougher but at the same time, it's good to be able to put our best XI," Bravo said. "We have good quality fast bowlers, good spinners, players who can bat deep as well."
But, things are not rosy as it seems for the hosts, as just before the first one-dayer their coach Ottis Gibson resigned from his post. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has appointed former skipper Richie Richardson as the new head coach.
Expected Line-ups: West Indies: Chris Gayle, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Dwayne Bravo (c), Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Jason Holder and Kemar Roach.
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (c & wk), Nasir Hossain, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Taskin Ahmed and Al-Amin Hossain.
Where to Watch Live
The first ODI between West Indies and Bangladesh is scheduled for a 7:00 pm IST (1:30 pm GMT, 9:30 am ET and 7:00 pm BDT) start with live coverage on Ten Cricket and Ten HD in India. BTV and Gazi TV will telecast the match live in Bangladesh and catch the ball-by-ball updates online HERE or HERE.
Viewers in the US can catch the match live on ESPN 3 with live streaming option HERE. The game will also be streamed live online on Willow TV HERE. Watch the match in Caribbean on Sports Max, while South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can view the match on SuperSport and live online HERE. In the UK, the game will be aired live on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD with streaming option HERE.
