Ireland To Host Bangladesh For Three Twenty20s

Ireland To Host Bangladesh For Three Twenty20s

Bangladesh beat Ireland on home soil during the 2011 World Cup; Ireland will be hoping to put one over their rivals in July

©REUTERS / Action Images

Bangladesh will tour Ireland and play three Twenty20 Internationals in July as both teams step up their preparations for the ICC World Twenty20.

The Twenty20 matches will be played in Belfast on 18th, 20th and 21st July following a warm-up game against an Ireland XI on 16th July.

The tour will last for nine days from 13th to 22nd July.

"It’s great news that we’re taking on Bangladesh and the games will give us valuable preparation as we build towards the World Cup in Sri Lanka. We played an exciting brand of cricket in winning the recent qualifying tournament in Dubai and we’re now 8th in the world rankings in this format of the game," Ireland coach Phil Simmons said.

"In Paul Stirling we have one of the most exciting players in international cricket at present and I’m sure the Belfast public will relish the opportunity to watch him on home soil."

Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom added: "We are delighted to be able to bring more top quality cricket to Ireland. Hosting matches against the Full Member countries is exactly what we are striving for and this summer proves we are on the right track with matches against Australia, South Africa A, Afghanistan and now Bangladesh. “In addition, this is the first time ever we are playing T20I matches at home against a Test nation, and we fully intend to play the games at a time and a price to suit the post-work and weekend crowd.

"I would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the ICC High Performance Programme and to ICC Europe for their financial support in helping make these matches come to fruition."

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan said: "We are always looking for tough challenges as professional cricketers and I am sure the tour of Ireland would test our skills and resolve. This will be wonderful preparations for both teams heading into the ICC World T20.

"Ireland are a very competitive side and in their conditions they will be formidable. However, we have a team that is brimming with confidence. We have proven match winners and some fresh faces who are tailor-made for the demands of T20 cricket. This promises to be an exciting contest.

"I love coming to Ireland. It’s a beautiful place with a growing cricket following. This tour should be another stepping stone for popularising the game here and I am very happy to be playing a part in it."

© Cricket World 2012