Bangladesh beat Ireland by eigth wickets in the third and final T20I of the series being played between the two teams in Chattogram on Tuesday, December 2. With this win, the hosts pocketed the series 2-1, coming from behind after they had been defeated in the first match. The Irish players tried very hard to match up with Bangladesh in this encounter, but the quality on offer from the home team made things quite challenging. In the end, the experience, composure and brilliance shown by Bangladesh won them the game and the series. Bangladesh had earlier won the two-Test series 2-0.
Ireland batted first in the third match of the series, but were bowled out for a mere 117 inside 20 overs. Captain Paul Stirling, who has a lot of experience in playing across the world, was their top-scorer with 38 runs off 27 deliveries. Stirling’s knock consisted of five boundaries and one six. The second-highest scorer for Ireland was all-rounder George Dockrell, with 19 off 23 deliveries. Mustafizur Rahman led the charge for Bangladesh with figures of 3-11, and was helped immensely by leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, who picked up 3-27. These two stifled the Irish batters with their lines and lengths.
In response, Bangladesh got off to a good start, only losing opener Saif Hassan (19) in the fourth over when the score was already 38. Captain Litton Das (7) could not add much to the total, but Tanzid Hasan Tamim (55 not out) and Parvez Hossain Emon (33 not out) sealed the deal for their team without losing any more wickets. This duo ensured that the hosts did not suffer from any hiccups and chased the modest target of 118 down in just 13.4 overs. Tamim was the aggressor of the two, taking just 36 balls to score his runs with the help of four boundaries and three sixes. Ireland were blown away by Bangladesh’s performance, and doffed their hats at their opponents at the end of the evening. The home team were victorious by eight wickets.
