Bangladesh post record-breaking victory over Ireland in Sylhet

Sports Saturday 18/March/2023 20:51 PM
By: Times News Service
Bangladesh post record-breaking  victory over Ireland in Sylhet

Muscat: Bangladesh’s red-hot form continued as days after recording a whitewash against T20 world champions England in the T20 series, they set two new team records in their 183-run win over Ireland in the first ODI in Sylhet, Bangladesh, on Saturday.

Bangladesh registered their biggest win in ODIs, batting first, after they scored 338 for 8, their highest total in the format, too. Ireland collapsed to 155 in 30.5 overs.

The hosts innings was built around Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy making nineties, with Mushfiqur Rahim's fiery 26-ball 44 complementing their effort.

Hridoy's knock of 92 is the highest by a Bangladeshi debutant in ODIs.

Hridoy became the first batter from this team to score a fifty on debut batting in the top five. Shakib scored 93, the fourth time he has fallen in the nineties. The pair added 135 runs for the fourth wicket, the foundation on which Bangladesh built their record-breaking total.

Ireland suffered a top- and middle-order collapse, triggered by Shakib. Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed picked up the next four wickets as the visitors went from 60 for no loss to 76/5. Nasum Ahmed cleaned up the lower order with 3/43. Ebadot finished with his career-best ODI figures of 4/42.

Hridoy and Shakib came to the crease after Ireland made early inroads, taking three early wickets. Paul Stirling took the catches of both Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das, before Andy McBrine removed Najmul Hossain Shanto for 25.

Shakib became the third cricketer to reach 7,000 runs and 300 wickets in ODIs before

Graham Hume, Ireland's best bowler of the day, removed him with a wide yorker. Hume finished with his maiden four-wicket haul in ODIs.

Ireland's innings started with Stirling and Stephen Doheny adding 60 runs for the first wicket before the batting collapse set in. Doheny made 34 off 38 balls with five boundaries, before Shakib had him caught behind in the 12th over. Ebadot removed Stirling in the following over but that was more a wicketkeeper's wicket. Mushfiqur dived down the leg-side to complete a tumbling effort.

 In his next over, Tector edged Ebadot for 3, with Mushfiqur taking his third catch. Then Taskin turned 68 for 3 into 76 for 5 in the space of five of his deliveries. First he bowled captain Andrew Balbirnie through the gate, before Yasir took a smart catch at slip, to remove Lorcan Tucker.

Curtis Campher and George Dockrell stemmed the collapse with a 33-run stand for the sixth wicket, before Nasum broke the stand. Nasum then removed Gareth Delany in his following over and McBrine fell next ball. Ebadot removed Mark Adair three overs later, with Mushfiqur taking his fifth catch in the match, for the second time in his ODI career.

Ebadot finished the game with his fourth wicket as he snared Dockrell, who top scored with 45 off 47 with six fours.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 338/8 (Shakib 93, Hridoy 92, Hume 4-60) beat Ireland 155 in 30.5 overs (Dockrell 45, Doheny 34, Ebadot 4-42).