Tigers eye sealing series

After a dominating display on Saturday, Bangladesh will hope to put their three-match One-Day International series against Ireland in the bag with a win in the second ODI today at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

The Tigers had an easy outing in the first match as batting first, they piled up a massive 338-8, their highest-ever in ODIs, which was then followed up by a great performance from the bowlers, bowling out Ireland for just 149 runs to seal a 189-run win, their biggest-ever considering the margin of runs.

Shakib Al Hasan and debutant Towhid Hridoy were the stars of the batting performance despite both missing out on deserved centuries as they scored 93 and 92 respectively, while it was Ebadot Hosasin who starred with the ball, picking up four wickets. Mushfiqur Rahim chipped in with a crucial 44 off 26 balls, while Nasum Ahmed picked up three wickets.

“I think it was a fantastic effort by all the team members. Especially Towhid and Shakib, and then Mushfiq and also Yasir. Their aggressive approach was fantastic. We are showing a brand of our cricket at the moment. Hopefully, we will do the same thing tomorrow as well,” Bangladesh spin-bowling coach Rangana Herath said ahead of the second ODI.

While their batting performance in the first ODI was commendable, Bangladesh would still hope for some more runs from their top-order. Both their openers - captain Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das - have been going through a sticky patch since the England ODIs, although Liton scored 73 against England in the third Twenty20 International following the ODI series.

Tigers will hope that their skipper finally finds some run, while they will also want the in-form Najmul Hossain Shanto to make it big after he got set and got out in the first match. In the bowling department, Bangladesh have little to improve as all their bowlers did their job pretty well on Saturday.

Bangladesh might ring in a few changes again today as this series is being viewed as preparation for the World Cup later on. Afif Hossain might replace Yasir Ali Chowdhury, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who was injured in training on Friday, might get some game time if the doctors deem it okay for him to play. Mustafizur Rahman may get some rest, with Hasan Mahmud taking his place.

For the Irish, the game is a do-or-die affair as a defeat will mean a series lost with a game to go. And thus, for them, the goal will be nothing but a win.

“Of course, it is about results. We understand international cricket is about winning and losing, but it is the way we go about our business. I think if you look at the last 12 months, the way we have tried to play, has got us into opportunities to beat some of the bigger sides. We beat England in the World Cup. We look at this series as one of those opportunities as well, to come here, in different conditions against a team that just beat the world champions, and show what we got in the bank,” Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan said on Sunday.