Ireland throw Bangladesh out of competition

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Ireland had stunned everyone by making it to the Super Eight of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and they have done it again in the shortest version of the game.

What a great start they have made in the ICC World Twenty20 2009, hammering Bangladesh by six wickets with 10 deliveries remaining. They have progressed to the next round of the competition, alongwith the defending champions India, from Group A.

Bangladesh, who had also made a surprise entry in the Super Eight of the 2007 World Cup, have been knocked out after losing their second game in succession.

It was a must-win game for Bangladesh at Trent Bridge, after having succumbed to defeat at the hands of India in their first outing. Their batsmen were unable to get going and their eventual total of 137 wasn’t testing enough for the spirited Irish side.

The Bangladesh batsmen were guilty of not applying themselves. The top three got starts but perished without making an impression. They needed to stay at the wicket for a longer time to lay the foundation for a big score.

Their top half was back in the dugout with only 66 runs on the board and less than 10 overs remaining. It was reckless batting that put them under enormous pressure and the Irish bowlers, more familiar with the weather conditions, didn’t let the batsmen score freely.

Ireland were in complete command of the situation having reduced their opponents to 117 for eight at the end of 19 overs. Bangladesh got a lifeline through the well-built Mashrafe Mortaza who helped his side collect as many as 20 off the final over. He remained undefeated on 33 off 16 balls to emerge the topscorer in the innings.

Ireland, who would have thought of chasing down something around 125, were suddenly set a target of 138 that wasn’t all that high but it demanded them to be little more focused.

Trent Johnston was the pick of the Ireland bowlers, claiming three wickets for only 20 runs off his four overs. The other bowlers pressed into service by William Porterfield also did the job, cashing in on the self-defeating approach of the Bangladesh batsmen who never thought of stabilizing the innings.

The target of 138 wasn’t a big but Ireland needed to stay positive to knock off the runs and get a head start in the tournament. They survived a few anxious moments before completing the job in the penultimate over. Their batsmen showed much more application and discipline to ensure that the great work of the bowlers earlier in the day was not undone.

The O'Brien brothers were brilliant once more and their resilience earned another famous victory for Ireland. Kevin O'Brien’s unbeaten 39 off 17 balls was another fantastic effort as he clobbered a couple of sixes besides five fours.

Earlier Niall O'Brien, coming in at number three, had struck three sixes and as many fours in his 25-ball 40 to keep his team in front. The skipper himself did the anchoring role and the tactics worked perfectly in the end.