Ireland win last-ball thriller to deny Bangladesh clean sweep

Hosts Ireland Women have won a last-ball thriller against Bangladesh to avoid the ambarrassment of a whitewash in the three-match Twenty20 International series.

Sports Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 July 2018, 09:12 PM
Updated : 1 July 2018, 09:12 PM

The six-wicket victory in Dublin on Sunday in the third and final game salvaged some pride for the Irish.

An unbeaten 66 by Fargana Hoque had helped Bangladesh to put up 151 for 4 – their highest score in a Twenty20 International.

Openers Shamima Sultana and Ayasha Rahman shared a 47-run stand to give their team fine start before the former got out in the 7th over for 30 off 27 deliveries.

Ayasha then fashioned a 30-run stand with Fargana before being run out for 27 off 26.

Nigar Sultana (8) did not last long but Fargana kept the scoreboard ticking with regular boundaries. In the death overs, she put the foot on the gas, hitting two sixes and six fours in her the 47-ball innings.

Laura Delany returned the best figures for Ireland with 1 for 19 in her four overs.

Ireland had a great start in their chase of a big target of 152 thanks to a brisk 93-run partnership between Delany and Gaby Lewis.

Clare Shillington and Cecelia Joyce made 28 runs for the opening  stand before Panna Ghosh took the former out for 21. Nahida Akter then put struggling Joyce (7 off 16 balls) out of her misery.

Lewis and Delany came together with Ireland at 30 for 2. Lewis brought her second T20 half-century off 30 balls.

Isobel Joyce then played an unbeaten cameo of 22 off 14 deliveries to get her finally over the line off the final delivery.

Ireland needed 11 in the final over after Nahida Akter gave away only six runs in the 19th over.

The pressure in the tense last over, bowled by Jahanara, proved too much for Delany (46 off 38 balls) as she was run out trying to steal a single.

But Isobel held her nerves and sent the fifth ball for four to tie the scores before she took a single to clinch victory and pull one back for her side.