Image credits: TOI
Ireland defeated Bangladesh for the first time on home soil in the third and final T20I match, thanks to the remarkable performances of Paul Stirling and Matthew Humphreys. Humphreys, making his T20I debut, took two wickets in his first three balls, and all seven of Ireland’s bowlers contributed to Bangladesh’s downfall, bundling them out for 124 in 19.2 overs. In contrast, Ireland comfortably chased down the target of 125 with six overs to spare, with Stirling scoring 77 off 41.
Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat first but struggled during the powerplay, losing four out of their first five wickets to catches in the deep on the leg side while attempting to clear the boundary. Despite a short boundary blitz from Towhid Hridoy, the hosts were unable to avoid defeat. Humphreys was the standout bowler in his debut T20I, taking two wickets in his first over and finishing with figures of 2-10, leaving Bangladesh in a precarious position at 64-7.
Shamim Hossain scored a steady maiden T20I half-century off 40 balls to lead Bangladesh past the three-figure mark. However, all seven of Ireland’s bowlers were able to take at least one wicket, and Bangladesh were all out for 124 in 19.2 overs.
Although Ireland had a rocky start to their chase, losing Ross Adair and Lorcan Tucker during the powerplay, Stirling played a crucial role in the victory, hitting five boundaries in the first six overs. He reached his 22nd T20I half-century off 31 balls before accelerating towards the target, hitting four consecutive boundaries off Shoriful Islam after reaching his fifty. Stirling was eventually dismissed going for another big hit, caught in the deep off Rishad Hossain, but his work was done, and Ireland secured a seven-wicket victory with six overs to spare. Curtis Campher finished the match with a six.
Despite losing the T20I series 2-1, Ireland will have an opportunity to redeem themselves in the only Test of the tour starting from April 4 in Dhaka.
