Ireland’s World Cup hopes fizzled out as the rain had the final say in the Cricket World Cup Super League. Now the pressure is off both sides and they will be looking ahead.
Ireland vs Bangladesh | Second ODI | Friday 12 May 2023 | The County Ground, Chelmsford
Ireland 7/4 | Ireland 4/9
Mark Adair and Joshua Little had Bangladesh on the ropes early on in the first match but couldn’t stay on top.
They found their opponents relentless in the pursuit of runs, and Ireland just were not clinical enough in the field to make it count.
The Irish also threatened with the bat in hand before a run of wickets and the rain put paid to their hopes of pulling off a Super League miracle.
Stephen Doheny has come in as a new member of the top three, which is where Ireland needs strengthening the most, given their reasonably strong middle order.
While Bangladesh missed out on the finish of the match in the opener, they had looked to be edging the contest.
The experience of Mushfiqur Rahim helped lead a fightback for the Tigers and the posting of a competitive score.
Bangladesh have shown that they bat deep in ODIs and can keep up aggression for sustained periods as a result.
Mustafizur Rahim was left out of the first match, and that just shows how far Bangladesh have come in terms of their pace stocks.
Verdict: Bangladesh
If the weather plays along, Bangladesh could get the win they need to move up on the Cricket World Cup Super League table.
