Bangladesh managed to get their first win in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2024, with a win over Ireland by six wickets to get their first points on the board at the Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein.
Ireland were off to a positive start, with the openers getting off the mark with three boundaries after patiently seeing off the first 10 balls. The European side were going at a healthy pace, when Maruf Mridha struck with his left-arm pace, getting Ryan Hunter caught at the gully. Despite the early wicket, Ireland remained positive through the first Powerplay, going at a respectable pace of 4.50 runs per over.
The arrival of spin saw Bangladesh surge back into the game. Sheikh Parvez Jibon and Uzzaman Rafi chipped in with the wickets of Gavin Roulston (5) and Jordan Neill (31) in the 11th and 16th over. Jibon struck once more around the mid-innings mark to remove the Ireland skipper Phillipe le Roux, and the Tigers were right on top. Kian Hilton rose to the occasion when the chips were down, and took on the Bangladesh bowlers.
Primarily targeting the tweakers, Hilton and Scott Macbeth hit seven fours between overs 25-35. As the partnership grew stronger, Bangladesh lost their discipline under the pressure and gave away several loose deliveries. Despite losing MacBeth (27) in the 41st over, Ireland kept charging ahead at the back of Hilton’s aggression. The batter eventually fell 10 short of a hundred in the 49th over with Ireland adding 61 runs in the last 10 overs.
READ MORE: ICC U19 World Cup 2024: Australia Start Campaign on Winning Note With Win vs Namibia by Four Wickets
In response, the young Tigers were off to a confident start with Ashiqur Rahman Shibli and Adil Bin Siddik adding 55 runs, including six boundaries, in the first Powerplay.
The ball gripped after the introduction of spinners in the second Powerplay. Shibli and Siddik were watchful and the scoring rate came down as a result. However, the Asian side remained well ahead of the required run rate. Left-arm pacer Matthew Weldon eventually broke through for Ireland, and sent back Siddik for 36.
READ MORE: ICC U19 WC24: Ton-up Reddy Secures Victory for New Zealand vs Nepal; Dinura Kalpuhana 50 Helps Sri Lanka Win vs Zimbabwe
MacBeth sent back Shibli soon after, but Chodwury Md Rizwan and Ariful Islam kept the Tigers on track with a brisk stand. Islam’s aggression got the better of him, when he tried to charge down the track against MacBeth and ended up getting stumped. One brought two, as Rizwan followed Islam to the pavilion after he was caught off John McNally.
Ahrar Amin and Mohammad Shihab James again came together to stabilise the innings and help Bangladesh close in on the target. Bangladesh added 53 runs between overs 31-40, ensuring that they needed less than five an over at the start of the final 10 overs.
It was easy going from then on for Bangladesh, and the Tigers sealed the game in the 47th over. Amin and James added 109 runs for the fifth wicket.
Brief Scores: IREU19 235/8 in 50 Overs (K Hilton 90(113); M Mridha 2/45(8), BANU19 239/4 in 46.5 Overs (M S James 55(54); S MacBeth 2/41(10))
Comments
0 comment