Published: May 19, 2017, 06:33 PM (IST)
Edited: May 19, 2017, 06:33 PM (IST)
Bangladesh wreaked havoc over Ireland‘s batting line-up as they skittled them out to in 46.3 overs. Opting to field, Mashrafe Mortaza’s side led a disciplined bowling effort, forcing Ireland batters falter in their strokeplay. The Irish innings never got going. They kept losing wickets in clusters and fell pray to Mustafizur Rahman’s 4-for and Sunzamul Islam’s twin strikes. Bangladesh will fancy their chances of chasing a low score and earn their first victory of the tournament, with New Zealand sitting pretty at the the top with consecutive wins. Full Cricket Scorecard: Bangladesh vs Ireland, Match 4, Ireland Tri-Series
Ed Joyce and Paul Stirling commenced Irish innings, but Stirling fell to Rahman for nought. William Porterfield came at No. 3 and looked like taking the opposition’s attack single-handedly with some timely strokes to the fence. Nonetheless, he departed for a caught-and-bowled off Mosaddek Hossain. Earlier, Hossain had given him a reprieve but the Irish skipper could not hold on for long. Niall O’Brien, on the back of his maiden ODI century, carried on in a similar fashion and ensured a steady partnership with Joyce.
The partnership between Niall and Joyce looked set to take Ireland out of troubled waters, but Mortaza brought back Rahman and he responded instantly. Niall went for a shot but found the third-man fielder to depart for 30. Joyce, Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson followed suit courtesy poor shot selections as visitors continued to chip in with regular breakthroughs. From 116 for 3, hosts succumbed to 136 for 7.
George Dockrell and Barry McBarthy added some valuable runs and ensured their side crossed the 150-run mark. But Sunzamul Islam and Mortaza’s breakthroughs assured they never crossed the 200-run mark. Sunzamul bowled in tight lines and tossed up the bowl to invite big shots from the batsmen. On the other hand, Rahman did not start well but improved with early scalps to break Ireland’s backbone. Even Mortaza wrapped up the innings with a two-wicket haul as visitors would start as favourites during the chase.
Brief Scores:
Ireland 181 all-out in 46.3 overs (Ed Joyce 46, Niall O’Brien 30, George Dockrell 25; Mustafizur Rahman 4 for 23, Sunzamul Islam 2 for 22) vs Bangladesh.
