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On March 22, 2023, Bangladesh faced off against Ireland in the first T20 match of their series in Dhaka. Bangladesh, being a more experienced and established cricketing nation, were the favorites heading into the match, but Ireland were not to be underestimated.
27 MARCH 2023
TIME: 04:00 AM ET
Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field first, and it proved to be a wise decision as their bowlers put in a strong performance to restrict Ireland to a total of just 130 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Opener Paul Stirling top-scored for Ireland with 39 runs, but no other batsman was able to make a significant contribution.
In response, Bangladesh got off to a shaky start, losing opener Liton Das for just 2 runs in the second over. However, they quickly recovered thanks to a solid partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Soumya Sarkar. Shakib played a typically aggressive innings, scoring 42 runs off just 27 balls, while Sarkar was more measured in his approach, scoring 30 runs off 34 balls.
Despite losing a few quick wickets towards the end of their innings, Bangladesh were always in control of the chase and eventually reached their target with 5 wickets in hand and 9 balls to spare. It was a convincing win for the home side, who will be looking to continue their winning form in the rest of the series.
One of the standout performers for Bangladesh was their young leg-spinner Aminul Islam, who finished with figures of 3-23 in his 4 overs. Aminul was able to generate a lot of turn and bounce off the pitch, making it difficult for the Irish batsmen to score freely.
Another impressive performance came from all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who not only played a key role with the bat but also picked up 2 wickets with his left-arm spin. Shakib has been one of Bangladesh’s most consistent performers over the years and his presence in the side is always a big boost for the team.
For Ireland, the loss will be disappointing, but they can take heart from some positive individual performances. In addition to Stirling’s innings, there were also useful contributions from Kevin O’Brien (24) and Gary Wilson (23), although neither was able to push on and make a big score.
In terms of the bowling, spinner George Dockrell was the pick of the Irish bowlers, finishing with figures of 2-22 in his 4 overs. Dockrell was able to extract some turn from the pitch and put the Bangladesh batsmen under pressure.
Overall, it was a good start to the series for Bangladesh, who will be looking to build on their strong performance in the coming matches. As for Ireland, they will need to regroup quickly if they are to challenge a strong Bangladesh side and avoid a series defeat.
