Bangladesh Trounce Ireland In Opening T20

Bangladesh Trounce Ireland In Opening T20

Shakib Al Hasan played a pivotal innings at number three for the visitors.

©REUTERS/Andrew Biraj. Picture Supplied by Action Images

Bangladesh 190-5 (Al Hasan 57) beat
Ireland 119-8 (Sunny 5-13) by 71 runs
First Twenty20 International, Stormont
Scorecard

Bangladesh ensured that Ireland’s growing case to become a full member of the ICC suffered a setback with a clinical 71-run demolition of the home side in Stormont. On a pitch which perhaps owed more to northern Bangladesh than Northern Ireland, Elias Sunny ran through the heart of their batting line-up to take five for 13 with his left-arm spin, while fellow slow left-armer Abdur Razzak took two for nine from his four overs.

The match began with the Irish winning the toss and inserting Bangladesh, who began steadily courtesy of an opening stand of 35 in five overs between the mercurial pair of Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful. Ashraful was the first to go, bowled by Max Sorensen for 15, but Iqbal remained and added 59 with Shakib Al Hasan before he was dismissed by Ireland’s only spinner, Paul Stirling, to perhaps give the home side a glimpse of what was to come.

Al Hasan made 57 from only 33 balls, while Ziaur Rahman blitzed an unbeaten 40 from only 17 balls as the home side were left to regret their decision to allow George Dockrell to skipper the Under-19s in an unofficial and abandoned match against England Under-19s at Grace Road.

Bangladesh ended on 190 for five and Ireland got off to a promising start, reaching 32 without loss in the fourth over before the wheels fell off. Abdur Razzak was the first to strike, removing William Porterfield for 26 and running out Stirling in the very next over, before he handed over to Sunny. The 26 year-old, making his debut in the format at international level, dismissed the key pair of Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien, before running through the lower middle-order as Ireland were restricted to just 119 for eight.

The final two matches in the series are on Friday and Saturday at the same venue, before Bangladesh move on to play matches in the Netherlands, against Scotland and the hosts.

© Cricket World 2012