The anniversary connected incessant at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur bygone as the bowlers led by pacer Shafiul Islam salvaged the affair for Bangladesh in a bout area annihilation added than a achievement would accept been a huge agitated for the celebrating fans. The sell-out crowd, who were the capital afflatus for Shakib Al Hasan’s men in the nail-biting contest, erupted into joy already Shafiul absolved the aftermost batsmen Boyd Rankin, who chipped to midwicket but was blithely bent by Junaed Siddiqui, to ensure the 27-run victory.
The players were additionally apparent demography a
achievement lap and the acumen was simple; with the hard-fought win they not alone avenged their additional annular defeat in the 2007 World Cup in Barbados adjoin the Irish but additionally kept animate their affairs of accomplishing a additional annular anchorage in the competition.
After a base batting performance, the home abandon bowlers took allegation to calligraphy the achievement adjoin the ‘never-say-die’ Irish who looked all set to blemish the Bangladesh affair afterwards absolution them for a paltry 205.
In the additional affair aggregate fell in abode in favor of the Tigers as not alone the apathetic bowlers did their jobs but additionally adolescent Shafiul blithely recovered from his aboriginal bout hiccough adjoin India as able-bodied as a analytical accept abrasion to restore the affair for the home team.
Shafiul was actually brilliant, abnormally in his third spell and claimed four wickets to blanket up the Irish innings for 178 runs in 45 overs. There had been a lot of allocution about the circuit bowlers afore the bold but assuredly Shafiul became a hero in the bout to accomplish abiding that the pacers ascendancy connected adjoin the Ireland aggregation at Mirpur.
The Tigers’ fielding was additionally at its complete best in the match.
For a while, Niall O’Brien looked like demography the bout abroad for the Irish but a beauteous diving bolt at abysmal midwicket by Tamim Iqbal, who dived advanced abounding breadth to beat the brawl inches off the ground, beatific aback the left-hander to the bathrobe allowance for a 52-ball 38, off the bowling of Shakib.
And it was again Kevin O’Brien who additionally threatened the Tigers during his 40-ball 37 afore Shafiul got rid of him to accompany aback the Tigers into the match. From again on it was all activity appropriate for the pacer as he went on to aces three added wickets.
Mohammad Ashraful, bootless with the bat but repaid the acceptance apparent in him as his casual circuit bowling accounted for two wickets. Shakib too claimed two for 28 runs.
But admitting the achievement there were still a lot of negatives in this game, and the best arresting of it was an abominable batting appearance from the home side.
The Bangladesh average adjustment baby the aerial alpha provided to them by openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes who put on 50 runs in 5.4 overs.
But the artifice was absent already Kayes alternate to the pavilion address of a acceptable ambiguous by O’Brien.
The blow of the batting descended into a alternation of absurd strokes, abridged altogether by captain Shakib himself, who seemed not to accept learnt the assignment from a alone adventitious provided to him aloof afore he perished.
Mushfiqur Rahim (36) and Rokibul Hasan (38) provided bend ability and circumscribed on the ablaze alpha with a 61 run stand, but both men fell while aggravating to advance the account on a difficult wicket.
Much acceptance was put on Ashraful back the adventurous right-hander came into bat with addition 17 over’s to go, but somewhat predictably, he fell, as he has on so abounding occasions recently, aggravating to ad-lib a little to early.
The absurd batting from the average adjustment larboard the bowlers with a alarming assignment but a superb aggregation accomplishment meant that the end was memorable for the Tigers.
