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Tigers hope to win, Ireland to fight to escape defeat


Published : 22 Mar 2023 09:07 PM

It will be a different target of hosts Bangladesh and Ireland when they will face each other in the third off three-match ODI series today at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

Tigers are looking forward to win the series when Ireland will fight just to escape from the series defeat, as they had a lifeline after the second ODI was washed out when the host had every possibility to clinch the series on Monday, one match left to play.

Tigers, after their scintillating performance from the batters in the second ODI almost confirmed the series win before the last match to play when they set a massive 350 runs target for Ireland to win the match, which was predictably not possible.  

However, the third and the last match today turned into a do or die encounter for Ireland to save the series defeat and for Bangladesh, it is the last option to win the series.

Bangladesh have two changes with Afif Hossain and Hassan Mahmud were not considered in the squad, as both the batter and bowler, respectively returned Dhaka to play domestic cricket for their respective clubs.

However, Bangladesh captain and the vice-captain – Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das do not think that the exclusion of Afif and Hassan would make any impact.

But all will depend on the weather, as rain could again disrupt, if rain will Litton Das, Bangladesh’s ODI vice-captain, said on Monday that playing on the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS) pitches for the ongoing three-match series against Ireland will help them in the World Cup preparations as he is expecting similar conditions for the mega tournament.

Bangladesh batters convincingly expecting the pitch of the third ODI would be as it was during the first and the second ODI when Litton Das, the vice-captain of the team is highly impressed playing on this kind of pitches.

Though Bangladesh have traditionally composed low and slow pitches in nature where it becomes tough to score 260 or 270 and that is considered a almost a defendable total but at Sylhet in the ongoing series there are continuously scoring 300-350, that meant that batter feel comfort to playing good cricket.

As Litton after the second ODI in Sylhet also expected good wicket where batters get advantages to make strokes and the bowlers also have some assistance, who get some movement early on to challenge the top-order batters, while there is also some turn available at the latter stage of the game. So far, the hosts have posted 300-plus totals in first game and bundled out the opponents only for 155 runs when in the second ODI also saw 300-plus runs.

As Litton said, “We want aggressive brand of cricket and if our batter can score runs in big occasions, it will become as their habit. No matter, if they could not score 300 in every match, they will be able to score 280-plus. We would always want to play on a good wicket and get good results.”

Meanwhile, the head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, before to start the series expressed that he was also looking forward the coming World Cup, will start from October 5, 2023 and took this series as a part of preparation for the World Cup.

Litton Das also thinks that they would have to make the habit of scoring over 300 runs in ODIs apart from that, the Sylhet venue’s pitches also have some assistance for the pacers, who get some movement early on to challenge the top-order batters, while there is also some turn available at the latter stage of the game. So far, the hosts have posted 300-plus totals in first two games against Ireland.