Hasan Mahmud’s Last Over Heroics Secure Victory for Bangladesh
In the last over, Hasan Mahmud claimed two wickets while holding the opposition to nine runs.
Ireland 269 for 9 (Stirling 60, Balbirnie 53, Mustafizur 4-44) was defeated by Bangladesh 274 (Tamim 69, Mushfiqur 45, Adair 4-40) by five runs.
With an outstanding bowling effort against Ireland, notably in the final ten overs to defend 274, Bangladesh won the ODI series 2-0. Hasan Mahmud controlled the final three overs, collecting two wickets in the final over in which he successfully defended nine runs. At the same time, Mustafizur Rahman claimed his ninth four-wicket haul in ODIs.
When Ireland had seven wickets in hand and needed 52 runs to tie the series, they batted poorly in the final nine overs. The captaincy of Tamim Iqbal outclassed them. He first substituted Najmul Hossain Shanto, a part-timer, very late in the game to get Harry Tector out for 45. Then Tamim grabbed an opportunity to dismiss Mustafizur at the end of the 47th. The left-arm quickly repaid his captain’s confidence by taking three wickets in his final delivery.
However, Mark Adair, whose four-wicket haul helped bowl out Bangladesh in 48.5 overs, might have completed the task with the bat had Ireland been able to capitalise on the two significant partnerships. With ten required in the last over and 2 4s, and a 6 in the final three, he missed the scoop off Mahmud’s slower ball and was bowled for 20 off 10. Andy McBrine edged the following ball to short third, where Mrittunjoy Chowdhury made his first of two superb catches.
Many of Ireland’s booming bat and ball strokes were undone by losing their final six wickets for just 41 runs. Adair claimed a four-wicket haul, while Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, and Lorcan Tucker scored fifty runs. From their 16 overs, Ireland’s spinners combined to capture 4 for 70.
When Stephen Doheny was caught at second slip by Mustafizur, Ireland lost their typical opening wicket early. Doheny’s suffering persisted in the series, taking 16 balls to score four runs this time. However, Ireland’s venerable law firm, Stirling and Balbirnie, helped them escape trouble. Stirling hit Mahmud with a drawn six before hitting Chowdhury for a six-over cover.
The two became the first Irish partnership in ODI history to achieve their fifties in consecutive overs and bring up their seventh-century stand. When Balbirnie attempted to drive Ebadot Hossain for a six-over deep square leg, where debutant Rony Talukdar took a brilliant catch, their 109-run second-wicket partnership ended when he went for 53 off 78. Shortly later, the other debutant made a superior catch. When Stirling faced Mehidy Hasan Miraz, his outside edge almost crossed short third, but Chowdhury sprang high to make the catch and return Stirling for 60 off 73 balls.
Mustafizur Rahman’s Impactful Return Sees Ireland’s Middle Order Collapse
The centre was where Ireland’s young guns were placed. In the ensuing 10.4 overs, Tector and Tucker, both in good form, contributed 79 runs for the fourth wicket. Before a flash of inspiration destroyed their alliance, they skillfully timed the hunt. In the 42nd over, when Tamim introduced Shanto, Tector holed out to long-on, where Litton Das made a great diving catch. In his 69th game for Bangladesh, Shanto took his first international wicket with Tector, who scored 45 runs off 48 balls.
When eight overs were left, Tamim brought Mustafizur back, knowing he wouldn’t have the death overs specialist available. Mustafizur gave his skipper three wickets in back-to-back overs as a reward. Tucker was bowled for 50 when Curtis Campher skied him to mid-off, and George Dockrell sent a direct hit to the cover fielder Yasir Ali as a replacement.
Tamim got a lucky start to the game when, in the third over, his opponent Balbirnie dropped him at first base. However, Talukdar’s full-throttle drive against Adair in the following over was unsuccessful, as it resulted in a faint edge to the wicketkeeper.
However, Ireland played extremely carelessly during the first powerplay, with several extras and even a few misfields. However, Balbirnie atoned for his error in the eleventh over when he successfully caught a harder chance off the bat of Shanto.
Litton temporarily filled Shakib Al Hasan’s middle-order position when he was out due to a finger injury. Together with Tamim, they contributed 70 runs for the third wicket. In his 35 off 39 balls, Litton generally stayed in his comfort zone, hitting six and three fours. His ejection was remarkable because he became entangled after first backing off while attempting to slog McBrine, finally making mid-off an easy target.
When he bowled Towhid Hridoy, who missed out on a cut while backing away, Dockrell became the next wicket-taker. Between the two wickets, Tamim patiently worked the ball around for primary ones and twos to achieve his fifty in the 27th over. However, in the 34th over, Tamim swung wildly at Dockrell and was caught for 69 at short third.
Mushfiqur and Mehidy held their own despite the grim circumstances, rotating the strike and discovering the strange limit. Together, the two scored 75 runs for the sixth wicket until Mushfiqur was bowled after hitting his lone six. With fewer than five over left, McBrine bowled him for 45 and declared him out.
Bangladesh’s colossal tail was highlighted as their final five wickets were taken for just 13 runs. Mehidy lost for 37. Thus, Mahmud, Mustafizur, and Chowdhury could not significantly increase the total.
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