Bangladesh Women Seal ODI Series Against Ireland

“We are the favorites on home ground” – this statement was made by Nigar Sultana Jyoti, the captain of the Bangladesh women’s cricket team, ahead of their ODI series against Ireland. And the Tigers captain proved she was not mistaken, with outstanding performances from Nahida and Sharmin with both bat and ball. Bangladesh secured the series with one match to spare, defeating Ireland by 5 wickets in the second game.

On Saturday (November 30), Ireland batted first and set a target of 194 runs for Bangladesh. The host team chased down the target with 5 wickets and 37 balls to spare.

The chase did not start well for Bangladesh, as opener Murshida Khatun was dismissed for just 6 runs off 14 balls, leaving the team at 17/1. However, the second-wicket partnership between Sharmin Akter and Farzana Haque helped Bangladesh recover. While Sharmin couldn’t reach fifty, she contributed a solid 43 runs off 63 balls before being dismissed. Farzana, on the other hand, reached fifty but fell soon after, scoring 50 runs off 89 balls.

Captain Nigar Sultana Jyoti then joined Sobhana Mostari, and together, they guided Bangladesh closer to the target. Mostari was out for 16, but Jyoti added 40 runs to keep the chase on track. In the end, a 29-run unbeaten knock from Swarna Akter ensured Bangladesh reached the target with 5 wickets and 37 balls to spare, thus sealing the series with one match left.

For Ireland, Laura Delany took two wickets, while Ola Prendergast, Ava Canning, and Arlene Kelly each took one wicket.

Earlier, batting first, Ireland lost their captain Gaby Lewis early for just 2 runs. Sarah Forbes, who made 13 runs off 34 balls, partnered with her. Amy Hunter, with Ola Prendergast, stabilized the innings, and Ireland passed the 100-run mark.

In the 35th over, Bangladesh captain Jyoti introduced Swarna Akter, who made an immediate impact. On the first ball of the over, Prendergast was run out for 37 runs. On the fifth ball, Hunter was trapped LBW for 68 runs. With Ireland’s score at 127/4, the game shifted in Bangladesh’s favor.

Laura Delany tried to anchor the innings with Leah Paul, but they could not build a partnership. Paul made only 10 runs off 25 balls. Delany fought on and managed 33 runs before being run out. However, Una Raymond-Hoey’s 21* took Ireland to a fighting total of 193 runs.