Bangladesh look to raise chances of direct World Cup qualification in Ireland

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and his men will get an opportunity to improve their chances for a direct entry into the 2019 World Cup at the tri-nation series in Ireland, but it comes with a risk.

Bangladesh,  placed seventh in the rankings with 91 points, will play four matches in the tournament which will be held in Dublin from May 12 to May 24. The Tigers will play two matches each against the hosts and the fourth-ranked New Zealand.

Victory against the Black Caps will improve their points but defeat against the Irish team will be costly for the Tigers.

Before leaving the country with the team, skipper Mashrafe said they will take the field keeping the rankings in their sights.

A win against New Zealand and two against Ireland could help Bangladesh overtake Sri Lanka (93) as they will reach 94 points, while winning all four matches will lift them to 97 points.

If they win both games against Ireland while losing both against the Kiwis, Bangladesh will drop a point. One defeat against Ireland with defeats against New Zealand will see them slip below Pakistan in the rankings with 87 points.

Losing all the matches will leave them at 83 points.

Bangladesh are three points ahead of Pakistan at the moment while the ninth-placed West Indies are 12 points behind them.

New Zealand, on the other hand, will stay on fourth even if they lose to Bangladesh in both the matches. They will slip from 115 points to 112 points in such a scenario but an added loss to Ireland will see them slip a point below England, who are fifth now, to 109 points.

Hosts England and seven other top-ranked teams will earn direct routes into the 2019 edition of the showcase event.

The cut-off date for the rankings is Sep 30 this year. The four other teams on the ODI table will fight in the qualifiers for the remaining spots.