Bangladesh hope to continue winning momentum

DUBLIN, Ireland: After securing a place in the final, Bangladesh will be confident about defeating hosts Ireland when the two sides meet in their final league match of the tri-nation series here on Wednesday (today).

Bangladesh have been dominant in the series, securing a place in the final with a game to spare despite their earlier match against Ireland getting washed out. The 3-0 drubbing they received at the hands of New Zealand in February is a thing of the past as the visitors have not yet lost a game in the tri-series and are ruling the table with 10 points, thanks to two wins over West Indies.

On the other hand, Ireland have been below-par. In the opening game, they were completely blown away by Shai Hope and John Campbell’s record opening stand. They did hit back with a total of 327-5 in the next game against West Indies thanks to Andrew Balbirnie’s ton, but their bowlers were unable to hold fort.

With six wickets in two games, Mustafizur has been Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in this series along with captain Mashrafe Mortaza. He was expensive in the first game against West Indies but came back strongly in the previous match registering figures of 4-43. With the English conditions suiting fast bowlers, the youngster’s form bodes well for his team.

For Ireland, Paul Stirling’s form is critical. He failed in the first ODI against West Indies but scored a solid 77 in the next one, a stable innings that laid the foundation for a huge total.