All eyes are on the ODI series Ireland against Bangladesh 2023

Ireland’s last chance at World Cup Qualification

Ireland must defeat South Africa in a series to gain straight qualification for the World Cup at their expense.

Bangladesh and Ireland engaged in their first ODI series in March in thirteen years. Starting on Tuesday, they will play another game. As the final instalment of the ICC’s ODI Super League, the three-match ODI series in Chelmsford is significantly more significant for the hosts. The outcome of this series will immediately impact South Africa, a third nation. The previous ODI series between the two teams took place at Sylhet, but Chelmsford is a very different venue. Ireland was destroyed 2-0 there. Despite being in good shape, the tourists will only have one day to train at the venue to assess the conditions.

South Africa will be keeping track.

During this ODI series, Ireland will face a challenging task. They must defeat Bangladesh 3-0, with one of those victories needing to be by a wide margin. South Africa, who is in seventh place in the points chart, is 30 points and 0.305 runs per over ahead of Ireland. Ireland is now in ninth place; however, if they have a strong series, including their first victory over Bangladesh, a World Cup spot will be theirs.

While backing Bangladesh, the team that defeated them 2-1 in March 2022 in their backyard, South Africa will be praying that isn’t the case. Bangladesh has already qualified and will move to the second (3-0) or third (2-1) slot in the standings if they win the series. Although they are in fourth place, they started the ICC ODI Super League to finish strongly in the standings, according to skipper Tamim Iqbal.

Returning from the subcontinent is Ireland.

The IPL’s Josh Little’s return is terrific news for the home team. Ireland is attempting to recover after a long and challenging trip of the subcontinent, and Craig Young’s inclusion will strengthen their pace attack. In addition to the two Tests against Sri Lanka, they lost the ODI and T20I series in Bangladesh. But some of the individual performances will make them delighted.

While Harry Tector led Ireland in scoring during their tour of the subcontinent with three fifty-plus scores, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker, and Paul Stirling scored hundreds in Test matches. Apart from a valiant half-century, Andy McBrine’s six-for in the Dhaka Test was Ireland’s most excellent bowling performance in the two trips.

Graham Hume was a pleasant surprise in the bowling department, especially during the white-ball matches in Bangladesh. Hume, who also claimed a four-wicket haul, was their finest bowler despite the difficult circumstances and flat batting grounds. However, Ireland will like input from their captain Andrew Balbirnie and some clarification over George Dockrell’s position.

Bangladesh faces a unique problem.

Rain has made it difficult for the visitors to train frequently at the Fenners ground in Cambridge. Rain forced them to postpone their practice game as well. Both teams did not practise before the series while away in Chelmsford since a County Championship game was still in progress until May 7. The night before the game will be the only time they can see the main venue.

Tamim is in charge of an efficient operation. The only recent hiccup for Bangladesh was a defeat to the world champions England in an at-home ODI series in early March. Late last year, they defeated India after directly qualifying for the World Cup. The two most significant performers for Tamim have been Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. However, Litton Das, Taskin Ahmed, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz have also made significant contributions. Due to an injury, Taskin is not included in this squad, but the others are. 

Recently, Bangladesh’s scoring rate has also drawn attention. Against Ireland, they averaged 6.61 runs per over, which is a record for an ODI series. They have continued to increase their scoring rate over the past 12 months, which they have done partly thanks to their success in T20I matches. Mushfiqur recently recorded the quickest ODI century for Bangladesh, and newcomers like Towhid Hridoy have also adopted the strategy of quick scoring.

ODIs come back to Chelmsford.

The county ground in Chelmsford will host its first ODI in 24 years during this match. The 1999 World Cup was the setting for two of the three ODIs it hosted. One of those games featured Bangladesh playing New Zealand in their inaugural World Cup game. Of course, none of those players, coaches, or officials are now on this squad, but there is information accessible regarding the location.

Although Chelmsford is one of the circuit’s smaller venues, the pitches might favour bowlers. Although offspinner Simon Harmer has occasionally been unplayable, swing and seam are typically the most significant threats. Spinning with style will have an effect. In addition, six of the last eight one-day games played here had first-inning totals of 300 runs or more. It should be an intriguing competition if the rain keeps away.

The No. 7 role has two or three players, according to Tamim.

It will be crucial to bat deeply under these circumstances. However, Bangladesh has changed their strategy in recent games as they have sought to improve their bowling attacks in white-ball cricket. Mehidy’s bat has improved, allowing him to hold down the No. 7 spot, though they will search for a big hitter when they need more batters. Tamim stated two days before the opening ODI that they are interested in fielding an additional bowler but recognise the value of the No. 7’s performance.

He declared that position No. 7 was crucial. Additionally, the position is undervalued. Sometimes, at position 7, a 25-run inning is equivalent to 50. Despite being a thankless position, it is crucial. Two or three players are available in that position. MEHIDY HASSAN Miraz has demonstrated that he can bat well. Alone, he used his batting to defeat India and win the series.

“We can need an additional bowler if he bats at No. 7. In this and probably the following series, we will examine these pairings. There are several alternatives with six bowlers. However, with five bowlers, you are trapped as a captain and team if someone has a bad day.